In the modern educational environment, it is essential to understand and foster the professional creativity of pedagogical workers, as it serves as a driving force for innovation in the learning process and the development of the educational system. Exploring professional creativity in relation to professional development and innovation is becoming increasingly important due to the continuous challenges faced by the school environment. Creativity encourages pedagogical workers to innovate in teaching practices and contributes to the advancement of the entire educational system.
In this master's thesis, we examined the concept of professional creativity among pedagogical workers and its relationship with aspects of professional development and innovation. The theoretical section focuses on the concepts of creativity, professional development, and innovation within the pedagogical environment. The empirical part of the thesis explored how pedagogical workers understand the notion of creativity, the importance they assign to it in performing their professional duties, and how they foster creativity in their students. Furthermore, the study explores the factors influencing the creativity of pedagogical workers and their implementation of pedagogical innovations. The opinions and experiences of preschool and primary school teachers were analysed through responses obtained from interviews. A qualitative research approach was used, with a sample consisting of ten pedagogical workers (preschool and primary school teachers) from public Slovenian schools. The responses were compared, analysed, and interpreted in detail. We found no significant differences between the two subgroups based on their professional roles.
The findings from the qualitative research indicate that the interviewed pedagogical workers perceive creativity as an important aspect of their work, as it enables them to adapt to the needs of students and create an efficient learning environment. The significant barriers to fostering creativity were identified as material and time constraints, while intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and peer support have a positive influence on professional creativity. The pedagogical workers involved in the research confirmed that creative approaches to teaching enhance the effectiveness of their work and contribute to their professional development. These findings indicate that the further development of creativity in education requires more courses focused on teaching creativity and providing support in this area.
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