Personal Values as Predictors of Creative and Productive Thinking among Adolescents of Kamrup Metro District, Assam

Abstract

This paper has discussed the degree to which individual values which have been defined in the theory of basic human value of Schwartz are useful in predicting creative and productive thinking among teenagers. One hundred and fifty (150) secondary-school students (ages 13-17, M = 15.20, SD = 1.30) from six schools of Kamrup Metro district, Assam, were surveyed on values in conjunction with standardized tests concerning creative thinking and productive (problem-solving) thinking. Four dimensions of higher order values were obtained Openness to Change, Self-Transcendence, Conservation, and Self-Enhancement. Both Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that Openness to Change was the most positive predictor of creative thinking (β = .35, p < .001) whereas Self-Transcendence was the most positive predictor of productive thinking (β = .27, p < .001). Both outcomes were negatively correlated with conservation values, the most significant of which was the creative thinking (β = -.22, p < .001). The value dimensions together explained 29 percent of the variance in creative thinking and 24 percent of the variance in productive thinking as well as age and gender. These results confirm value-congruence theories of cognitive functioning and propose that by promoting openness- and transcendence-based values in adolescence, it could be possible to develop creative and productive cognitive style. Discussed are implications to educational practice and value-based creativity interventions.