Design Students’ Theories of Creativity: A Macau Perspective

Abstract

Explicit theories are constructed by experts based on the findings of empirical studies. Implicit theories, on the other hand, are generated from assumptions and ideas held by non-experts. The purpose of the current study was to examine Chinese art and design undergraduates’ perceptions of creativity. The implicit theories of this concept that are held by art and design students are perhaps disproportionately important, in that they might inform creative work in the real world. The current study was a qualitative survey and utilized convenience sampling to recruit 95 participants, all third-year college students in art and design in Macau. The current study was a qualitative survey, distributed online, and consisting of demographic questions and a single open-ended question: “When you hear the word ‘creativity’, what words come into your mind? We found that the majority of the most popular responses seemed to reflect the creativity literature, with new, unique, surprise, and interesting. In addition, among these four attributes, female students were significantly more concerned that creativity should have new and interesting components than their male counterparts did.