Analyzing the perception and lived experience of primary school teachers regarding creativity

The present research was conducted with the purpose of analyzing the perception and lived experience of teachers regarding creativity in the elementary school.

The research approach is qualitative, which was carried out using the phenomenological method. The research community included elementary school teachers in Tehran in the academic year of 1399-1400. The sampling method in the present study was the purposeful sampling of the sampling type of normal cases. Finally, data saturation was achieved by conducting 13 interviews with experienced teachers. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview. This type of interview is suitable for qualitative research due to its depth and flexibility. Face-to-face interviews were not possible due to the corona situation and school closures. Therefore, the interview was conducted online. In order to analyze the collected data, the seven-step Claysey method was used.

the in-depth analysis of views on the concept of creativity led to the identification of three main themes with the title 1- the nature of creativity; 2- creative student and 3- creative teacher and thirteen subthemes. Also, a detailed analysis of the teachers' views on creativity development methods led to the extraction of two main themes titled 1- factors related to the teacher and 2- factors related to the curriculum and eight sub-themes. Finally, a detailed and meticulous examination of the teachers' views regarding the barriers to fostering creativity led to the classification of three main themes under the title 1- Barriers related to students; 2- Barriers related to teachers and 3- Barriers related to curriculum and eleven sub-themes.

The findings of this research can be used to create a targeted approach to verify teachers' belief systems and address their incomplete perceptions of creativity.