Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices

Abstract

This study investigates English teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices regarding the teaching of creative thinking (CT) and explores the factors that hinder these practices. A mixed methods approach is adopted, drawing data from 63 middle school English teachers in China through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observation. The participants, with teaching experience ranging from three to 40 years, are recruited voluntarily from a teacher training program. Results indicate that the teachers overall assign importance to CT cultivation and creative pedagogy, and take steps to foster CT in English lessons. However, the participants are found to have an insufficient and biased understanding of CT and creative students. Additionally, instructional practices that hinder students’ CT development are also observed. This may be attributed to the teachers’ inadequate knowledge of CT and its cultivation, separated and conflicting beliefs about teaching English and CT, and a lack of support from the teaching community. This paper offers insights for English teachers, teacher educators, educational policymakers, and researchers interested in integrating CT cultivation into English education.