Scheduled for Free Communication: Teaching and Assessing Student Performance in Physical Education, Thursday, April 10, 2008, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Convention Center: 202C


The Effects of Divergent Teaching Style on Students' Creative Movement

Li-Jen Chiang, National College of Physical Education and Sports, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Mei-Yao Huang, National Taiwan Sport University, TauYuan, Taiwan, Kuo-Tung Shih, National Taiwan University, Taoyuan, Taiwan and Mei-Ting Tsou, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung Li, Taiwan

Creativity in movement skill performance, defined as the combination of perceptions into new movement patterns (Wyrick, 1968), is influenced by intellectual, affective, and cultural factors, and varies with different instruction styles (Scibinetti & Tocci, 2002). The purpose of the present study was to investigate how divergent production teaching style H influences student's movement skills and creativity abilities. This research also investigated relationships between the interventions and creativity scores by employing pretest and posttest design as measured by the Creativity Assessment Packet (CAP) and Creative Movement Test (CMT). Two classes with sixty-two students (aged 10-11 years) and their teachers were participated in this study. One class was received the divergent product teaching style H in physical education and the other class did not. Each class met 45 minutes two times in a week and observed for 3 months with 20 educational gymnastic lessons. Both classes took CAP and CMT twice in the beginning and end of the study. The SPSS for Windows 13.0 vision was used to analysis all the data acquired in this study. The descriptive statistic, the 2 ×2 (groups × pre-post measure) analysis were utilized. The level of significance for acceptance or rejection for this study was set at the .05 level. The results as following: a) the class which received the divergent production teaching style H demonstrated a significant higher score on children's creativity and creative movement from pre- to post-test; b) the class which did not received the divergent production teaching style H showed no significant difference on child's creativity and creative movement from pre-test to post-test; c) a significant relationship among cognitive creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration), affective factors of creativity (curiosity, imagination, complexity, risk-taking), and creative movement were found in class which received the divergent production teaching style H. In conclusion, the divergent production style H teaching style was effective in improving the pupils' creativity ability and creative movement. The results suggest the creativity can be learned and assessed. Physical educators can use the divergent production style to simultaneously develop student's cognitive skills, motor-skills, affective behavior, self-expression and social interaction.


Keyword(s): creative movement, elementary issues

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