Creative giftedness and educational opportunities

Résumé En

In contrast to intellectual giftedness reflected in high academic performance and often measured by IQ tests, there is growing recognition that other forms of giftedness exist. This paper focuses on creative giftedness, defined as high potential to produce work that is original and context appropriate. After a brief introduction to the psychological basis of creative giftedness, the role of school context in the development creative potential is highlighted. Then an empirical study suggesting that creative potential is influenced by educational context is presented; pupils attending traditional and Montessori schools in France were compared on a set of creativity tasks in both the graphic and verbal domains. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted as children were seen at two measurement occasions, with approximately one year delay. Results indicated greater scores on measures of creative potential for children in the Montessori context. The discussion situates the results in a broader context of issues concerning the development of creative giftedness through education.