Creativity: is it on the Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) design and technology (D&T) agenda?

The paper looks at part of an on going research project into creativity in D&T, with specific reference to lower secondary Key Stage 3 curriculum (11-14 year old pupils) in England. The key research question is ‘to what extent is it possible to change the direction of design and technology education in the classroom through highlighting creativity?’ This paper focuses on the sub-research question: ‘what is likely to be the present position regarding the development of creativity in the Key Stage 3 (11- 14 years) classroom?’ A ‘naturalistic’, overt, semistructured observational study, that is a study in a ‘real’ setting with an agenda of issues, is used to collect data to clarify and illustrate issues or features through the technique of ‘participant-as-observer’. It is school-based case study of a Year 8 D&T class in a series of lessons in two D&T focus areas. The D&T lesson observations focused on the role of the teacher in providing the potential for creativity and the pupils’ responses. The findings are mapped against criteria within a three-feature model of creativity, drawn from a literature review and earlier data collection activities. The analysis provides some evidence of the present situation regarding the development of creativity in the classroom and adds to the debate regarding the development of creativity in D&T.