An investigation into the role of innovative learning environments in fostering creativity for secondary visual arts programmes in Ghana

Abstract

Innovative learning environments (ILEs) have been regarded as one of the contributing factors that facilitate creativity in learners. At the pre-tertiary level of education, Ghana has recently undergone educational reform that sees creativity being added as a key goal for education, but it is unknown if teachers' practices within current educational facilities can support the enactment of this goal. The multi-site qualitative case study explores the secondary visual arts learning environments within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana. Interviews and observations were used as instruments for data collection with 16 visual arts teachers. This study confirmed two categories of environments that foster creativity: innovative spaces and innovative practices (pedagogies). It recommends the prioritisation of innovative learning environments that facilitate creative development across secondary schools, the need for more collaborative classroom settings and a reduction of features (non-flexible layout, large class size, & under-resourced learning spaces) in the classroom that impede creativity.