Creativity and Innovation among Gifted Saudi Students-An Empirical Study

Abstract

Nations prosperity in a dynamic global economy depends critically on the quality and quantity of knowledge, innovation and creativity skills generated and gained by their human assets. Creativity, innovation and quality systems are at the heart of successful strategies adopted by modern economies. In general terms they are meant for the creation and adoption of new knowledge to improve the value of products, processes, and services delivered to customers. The present study was carried out within a national research project funded by the ministry of education in Saudi Arabia, with the primary aim to enhance and to develop creativity and innovation among Saudi students at both school and university levels. The paper aims to assess creativity and innovation at the educational system from the perspective of its customers. From the literature review a theoretical research framework was developed and a survey questionnaire was designed for the purpose. Respondents were selected among gifted students who participated in the national competition on giftedness 2015 run by the ministry of education in the Hail region, north the kingdom. The survey was administered online using web 2.0 technologies. They were asked about their personal perceptions on creativity and innovation, their educational environments and programs, the support and management, and the future prospects the university would offer to them. Statistical analysis of the results will be presented and discussed. The study identifies practical recommendations towards the adoption of new strategies to enhance creativity and innovation among Saudi students.

Thinking Regulation Characteristics of Basketball Free-throw Based on Event-Related Potential Analysis

“…The results of ERP signal change in various functional regions of the cerebral cortex is closely related to the change sensory organs and thinking activities during motion. During the motion of athletes, the three frequency bands of brain waves α, β and θ are highly consistent with the motion performance (Aichouni et al, 2015). In this study, the eye movement distance of the training group is significantly greater than that in the physical education group.…”

Saudi female innovators as entrepreneurs – theoretical underpinnings

“…More importantly, much of the research on innovation is of Anglo-Saxon origin (Alsos et al, 2013). While there is a push toward innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the region (Aichouni et al, 2015), research efforts on innovation in the Middle East are fairly recent (Suliman, 2013;Rasooldeen, 2017). The need for innovation research in the Gulf region is timely caused by the demand to renew oil-dependent economies (Alfantookh and Bakry, 2015;Pervan et al, 2015).…”

Assessment of creativity and innovation at a Saudi University

“…2. This part of the questionnaire includes items referring to values that reflect creativity according to Aichouni et al (2015). Self-perceptions of creativity are also included in this part of the questionnaire to gain some information but not as specific criteria for measuring creativity abilities as this issue should be handled with caution (Reiter-Palmon et al, 2012).…”

“…Recently, Gulf countries have adopted new strategies and reforms in their educational systems, aiming to transform their economies from oil-based economies to innovative knowledge-based economies. In Saudi Arabia, higher education infrastructure is expanding considerably fast by establishing new universities, research institutes, innovation and technology centers, and by activating international science, technology and innovation cooperation (Khan et al, 2014;Khorsheed and Al-Fawzan, 2014;Aichouni et al, 2015). Disseminating a culture that encourages creativity and innovation, particularly in science and engineering, has become the centre of Saudi policymakers and educational actors deliberation and aspiration.…”