Early Childhood Teachers’ Beliefs About Creativity and Practices for Fostering Creativity: A Review of Recent Literature

Abstract

Creativity is widely recognized as a crucial factor for both personal and social advancement. Given that the early years lay the foundation for future learning and development, fostering creativity during this period is of paramount importance. To facilitate and optimize creativity in the classroom, it is essential to understand teachers’ conceptualization of creativity and their instructional approaches. This paper reviewed 20 empirical studies conducted in various cultural contexts over the past decade, focusing on early childhood educators’ perceptions and beliefs about creativity and teaching practices for promoting creativity. The findings indicated that teachers generally have a shared understanding of the definition of creativity and recognize the importance of nurturing creativity in young children. However, several obstacles hinder their efforts to foster creativity in the classroom, including insufficient support from administrators and parents, as well as a lack of training and preparation for creative teaching practices.