Exploring Students' Internal Motivation for Engineering Creativity: Creative Confidence and the Arts
Loading...
Authors
Smith, Hannah
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Creativity , Motivation , Engineering education , Creative confidence , Creative arts , Mixed methods , Student perceptions
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate undergraduate engineering students’ internal motivation for engineering creativity and student attitude and understanding of creativity in engineering and the arts. Using an ex-post facto design, students’ engineering creativity self-efficacy, creative personal identity, creative growth mindset, and tolerances of judgement, the messy unknown, and the first step were measured. These elements were compared across gender, year of study, engineering discipline, problem-solving preference, and creative confidence, as well as frequency and duration of arts involvement, prevalent arts activities throughout time, and performance experience. A survey instrument was created, including the development of new scales. A mixed methods pilot study was conducted to improve it. It was then distributed to undergraduate students at nine Canadian engineering institutions, with 269 respondents. A qualitative phenomenological methodology was implemented, investigating student perceptions of creativity in engineering and art and any benefit of arts in creative development through 21 individual interviews.
Results from the survey instrument suggested that students possess generally high creativity self-efficacy and tolerance of fears hindering creativity, and neutral creative mindset and creative personal identity. Thus, students may be internally motivated to engage in engineering creativity. Students involved in arts displayed higher creative personal identity, while male students had higher creative self-efficacy and tolerance of fears than female students. Students who preferred open-ended problems displayed higher instances of internally motivating characteristics than those who preferred closed-ended problems.
Qualitative results indicate that students define engineering creativity as problem solving, while artistic creativity was described in terms of emotional response. Students identified barriers to creativity, including the fears of judgement, failure, and doing things differently, and lack of time, lack of opportunity, and lack of value from instructors. The arts were identified as useful in overcoming internal barriers to creativity, as well as development of self-confidence, perseverance, different perspectives, and communication skills.
Universal understanding of engineering creativity would aid in combating student misconception and provide a foundation for assessment. Instructor support is key in fostering creativity of undergraduates. Creativity education should be implemented, and opportunities for creative engagement without risk of failure adopted in engineering education.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.