The Efficacy of Play on Divergent Thinking of Adult Learners

Abstract

According to the literature, empirical links between play and divergent thinking in children were found. However, the potential effects of play in adults in terms of promoting creativity are underestimated. As a result, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible benefits of play behavior in adult classrooms in order to facilitate creativity. The results of the present study lend some support for the effects of play on divergent thinking in adults. In respect to ideas generation, the results did not show a significant difference between experiment and control groups. Nevertheless, with regard to originality, it showed a significant difference between the two groups. The participants perceived play intervention as producing more unique ideas than the control group. The implication of the findings and future research were also discussed.