CREATIVE THINKING AND LEARNING STYLES IN UNDERGRADUATE AGRICULTURE STUDENTS

Abstract

Creativity is multidimensional and still not completely understood by psychologists. Much research has given evidence that cognitive style of creative thinking is independent of cognitive level of creative thinking. However, is a student’s learning style similar to their cognitive style of creative thinking? This study attempted to examine the presence or absence of relationships between student learning styles and student creative thinking. To determine this relationship the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking and the Gregorc Style Delineator were given to students enrolled in an oral communication course offered by the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. The researchers found no significant relationships between creative thinking ability and learning style, except for Abstract Random learners who scored lower in the creativity constructs of fluency and elaboration. Also, students scored high in the creative construct of elaboration with mean scores in the 99th percentile and originality was the only creativity construct with mean scores below the 75th percentile. The results of this study indicate that more research is needed in the area of learning styles and creative thinking.