their work and / or their self-identities is consistent with other studies . For example , science teachers in Turkey reported medium-levels of creativity in selfevaluations which it was argued was either because of their perceived inadequecies or because they were unclear about the concept ( Demir , 2015 ). Issues around confidence in identifying oneself as being innovative were also revealed in a South African study that highlighted the power of cooperative learning in positive identity formation ( Kempe and Reed , 2014 ). Students themselves may struggle similarly with such self-identities , although an online intervention to raise awareness of creativity among bioscience postgraduate students in England found it developed participants ’ confidence to see themselves as creative ( Adams et al ., 2010 ). Staff are role models for students and so , with appropriate intervention / support , need to show awareness of their own creativity and innovation , claiming these labels for themselves as well as confidently applying them to students and enabling students to do likewise .
The broader literature is also in alignment with our finding that the creative process is routine practice in research , driven in part by the need to solve problems , with examples drawn from Greece , Slovenia and the USA , spanning Science , Engineering and Music ( Charyton and Snelbecker , 2007 , Daskolia et al ., 2012 , Juriševič , 2011 ). However , the view held by some of our participants , that the terms creativity and innovation are necessarily valueladen , is challenged in the literature . Berg and Östergren ( 2006 ), who study innovation in HE in Sweden , propose that innovation , in and of itself , is neither good nor bad as there are many types of innovation . Daskolia et al ( 2012 ), who study creative thinking in relation to environmental education in Greece , argue that creativity is not inherently good , benevolent or constructive , but there is the potential for harm if awareness of the impacts on society and the environment is lacking ( Cropley et al ., 2010 , Sternberg , 2010 , Craft et al ., 2008 , Daskolia et al ., 2012 ).
Such differences of opinion resonate with our findings that understandings of these concepts are likely to be associated with disciplinary concerns . As we have seen , multiple factors ( such as the need to build awareness and confidence , to develop critical thinking skills within assessment-driven cultures , and to talk about the emotional impact relating to value judgements ) were indicated as impacting on using , articulating and embedding creativity and innovation into both staff and students ’ everyday learning and teaching practices .
Strengths and Limitations
A key strength of this work is that we have drawn on international literature and empirical data from staff who work in various disciplinary contexts . Our analytical approach was iterative , involving repeated discussions and reflection . Consequently , by taking our time to reach consensus , we got deeper into our data which enabled us to go beyond what we set out to achieve . This enhanced our personal and professional development .
The main limitation is the lack of qualitative data from students ; had we gathered their insights about these concepts , we may have gained more knowledge about their understandings and enhanced our findings . Sample size and sampling context are also limiting factors in terms of generalisability but our findings still likely have broader relevance beyond LSHTM .
Future Research Work
It would be prudent to gather more detailed qualitative and quantitative data from LSHTM students to identify whether or not our findings resonate with their experiences . We could conduct baseline surveys ( pre-implementation ) to evaluate students ’ understandings and self-evaluations of their skills , knowledge and understandings about creativity and innovation . Following implementation of the current recommendations below into a number of taught courses at LSHTM , we could then conduct a post-implementation survey and interviews with staff and students , relating to our current findings above and the impact of implementing them into practice . The study could also be extended to other settings .
Recommendations to Enhance Practice
We recommend the following to enhance learning
Article # 3 39