The Role and Efficacy of Creative Imagination in Concept Formation: A Study of Variables for Children in Primary School

Abstract

Children’s creative imagination is tested through tasks involving narrative and drawing abilities for participants between the age of 8 and 12 years. The test determines the relative importance of ‘narrative’ against ‘graphic’ imagination in interpretive, problem-solving strategies, and also considers how such distinctive functions of the creative imagination could affect ‘general’ creativity of the child learner. Participants were chosen from designated primary schools in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. The test on creativity complements facts from observational methodology in a population of mixed Castilian-speaking children. The name of the test is Prueba de Imaginación Creativa Niños (2008) or ‘Test of Creative Imagination in Children’, the Castilian acronym being PIC-N. It comprised four sub-tests: Three designed to evaluate narrative (verbal) creativity, and one for drawing (i.e., graphic) creativity. The first three ‘exercises’ in the suite indicates (a) fluency, (b) flexibility, and (c) originality in narrative representations, whereas the fourth indexes (d) graphic abilities of the child learner. Results suggest that creative imagination causes variations in specific aspects of creativity, like narrative and graphic improvisation, and also modifies ‘general’ creativity as understood from the perspective of a developmental psychology of learning abilities in growing children within the defined age group.

“Complete the Drawing!”: The Relationship between Imagination and Executive Functions in Children

“…Imagination is traditionally understood as a universal creative ability that allows the production of new images, combinations, and conjunctions [1,2]. However, its cognitive function is mentioned in research works less frequently [3][4][5]. Nevertheless, the role of imagination in cognitive activity is of high significance, as by its virtue, we can see the connections and laws of the world around us through images [6,7].…”

Media influence and knowledge of traditional stories in the written productions of primary school students. Evaluative research

“…Schools should be an environment where writing is used as an instrument of reflection and communication for any activity (Camps, 2009). For this reason, text production activities are very important if seen as something that goes beyond mere information (Albarracín Vivo et al, 2020), with objectives of aesthetic quality, originality, creativity (Garcia & Mukhopadhyay, 2019) and involvement of students in socially relevant problems that represent society.…”

Creative Imagination Skills of Preschool Students: Meta Analysis of Antecedent Factors to Encourage Students Achievement

“…The European Union had recognised creative imagination by emphasizing the role of education system in the development of creativity and innovation in a lifelong learning perspective (European Union, 2008). Garcia and Mukhopadhyay (2019) states that creative imagination appears to be active from an early age, instrumental in learning and problem-solving strategies and can be discovered in the products of creative life especially children. It can be observed during children's play because the children tend to explore imaginative creative scenarios which are interesting and meaningful (Moller, 2015).…”

“…Imagination is considered as creation of something new with capacity to combine, process and create new representations and new behaviour (Vygotsky, 2005). Vygotsky's basic proposition reveals how children can use creative imagination to make sense of this world (Garcia & Mukhopadhyay, 2019) through the integration of neurobehavioral functions that employ imagination (Lindqvist, 2003). Imagination also has been mentioned as one of the aspects of creativity in current researches that involves the theories of creativity and it defines creativity during preschool years primarily through curiosity and imagination (Maksić & Pavlovic, 2011).…”

“…Overall, it can be said that a drama program is more effective on younger age groups, and drama programs are suitable to be implemented in education programs to develop creative imagination from early ages. Meanwhile, Garcia and Mukhopadhyay (2019) had conducted a test on children's creative imagination by giving tasks that involves narrative and drawing abilities for participants between the age of 8 and 12 years.…”