Creativity and Teaching Identity: Problem solving and inventiveness as mediating factors

Abstract

[EdD thesis] The aim in this study has been to explore the role of creativity in the development and maintenance of teaching identity in higher education. The objective is to develop insights capable of improving the creative capacity of universities through teaching.

The rationale is three-fold; 1) Identity is an underexplored and potentially valuable area of creativity research capable of addressing some areas of methodological and interpretive contention (Glăveanu and Tanggaard, 2014); 2) Teaching identity is of clear significance in the context of teacher development programmes in higher education, is widely considered in the literature, but has identified scope for clearer understanding and definition particularly in the context of higher education (Zambales, 2018); and 3) With ontologies of creativity and related lexical similarity structures being well established (Jordanous and Keller, 2013), the identification of a rich secondary data source capable of more detailed analysis presented a significant opportunity for meaningful enquiry.

Applications for professional recognition through the Advance HE accredited Research Inspired Teaching Excellence Scheme (RITE) were collated, and a series of semi-structured interviews completed with research participants. RITE applications and transcribed interviews were then subject to thematic and sentiment analysis applying a grounded theory methodological approach (Birks and Mills, 2015; Glaser & Strauss, 1967).

The conclusions of the study highlight clear domains of creative activity in teaching, but significant complexity related to perceptions of teaching and the experience of creativity in practice. Noting the tendency for creativity to be perceived as oppositional to or in tension with other professional perspectives, the study highlights that the relationship between creative selfefficacy and creative agency can diverge significantly and be highly individualised.

The theoretical framework developed through this study has been applied in implementing updates to Aston’s Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Date of Award	Nov 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aston University
Supervisor	Helen Higson (Supervisor) & Amy Patten (Supervisor)