The relationship between creativity and subject orientation among a sample of Jamaican adolescents

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the relationship between creativity, arts/science orientation, and associated variables in a sample of Jamaican fifth form students. Data were collected from a sample of 275 students (73 boys, 202 girls) from eight schools (three single-sex girls', three single-sex boys', and two co-educational) in the parish of St. Andrew, Jamaica, using a battery of 16 instruments--8 tapping creativity and the rest, related aspects including subject orientation. The findings suggested the existence of a relationship between creativity and certain intellectual/cognitive, environmental, and personality attributes that apparently play an important role in the development of students' creative potential. There was evidence of sex differences in creativity, with girls appearing somewhat more creative than boys, especially for verbal-type fluency measures. The relationship between sex and subject's orientation was also observed, upholding the stereotypical picture of boys being channelled into the sciences, and girls being encouraged to pursue the arts