Creativity in adolescence: differences by sex and school context.

Abstract

The aims of the work were to find out the differences between adolescent men and women from two school contexts - autonomous and independent - regarding the five areas of creativity: originality, fluency, elaboration, abstraction of titles and resistance to closure. Through a quantitative-comparative study, 1,383 adolescents participated, 49.6% men and 50.4% women, between 11 and 19 years old, with a mean of 14.34 (SD = 1.83). The instrument used was Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Through MANOVA with a 2x2 factorial design, not enough evidence was found to affirm that there is an interaction effect between sex and context. Differences were identified between school contexts regarding originality. The result suggests changes in gender roles and the current challenges faced by the educational system. The school context is considered to have a preponderant role in promoting creativity.