Future problem solving program international and creativity: Perceptions of adolescents

Abstract

The Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI) is one of the most popular internationally implemented programs to promote creativity, problem solving, and future interest and orientation in adolescents. However, a recent evaluation of the program found that students reported that they gained other lifetime skills, beyond the program’s goals, in personal, academic, and career experiences (Treffinger, Selby, & Crumel, 2012). But, does the FPSPI help students have accurate perceptions about creativity, and about the concepts of a creative pupil and a creative teacher? It is assumed that having accurate perceptions of creativity fosters a personal investment in creative skills. So, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the FPSPI on adolescents' perceptions of creativity and creative people in the school setting. The intervention program was administered to 77 students, who ranged in age from 12 to 17; the control group included 78 students with equivalent characteristics. In pretest and posttest assessment moments, students completed the scale Creativity and School – Perceptions of Students (Morais & Azevedo, 2011), composed of 25 Likert-type items organized into the dimensions of Accurate Perceptions and Erroneous Perceptions about creativity. Results show statistically significant differences between the experimental and the control group for accurate perceptions of creativity, which are favorable to the experimental group. These results are discussed in order to plan future research with the FPSPI, and to consider educational implications