Creativity in Technical and Further Education in Australia

Abstract

Creativity in technical and vocational education is an area where little research has been undertaken. This paper examines the existence and nature of creativity within a technical and further education college in Australia. The two studies found evidence of creativity within a course on mechanical design synthesis, however, the studies also found that teaching for creativity was not a central concern of teachers involved in the study, reducing the effectiveness of the intervention employed in Study 2. The paper draws on the findings of the two empirical studies reported in the paper to synthesise a curriculum framework that could be used to increase the effectiveness of teaching for creativity within technical and further education.