Adoption of the art world design thinking process to enhance teacher pedagogical creativity in Pre-primary schools in Uganda

Abstract

Creative teaching practices are essential for promoting holistic development in early childhood, with evidence suggesting that young children benefit significantly when educators adopt innovative and engaging approaches (OECD, 2021; Craft et al., 2014). Despite ongoing efforts in Early Childhood Teacher Education in Uganda, many trainee teachers still lack critical creative competencies in the use of learning materials, methodologies, and physical learning environments (MoES, 2018; Nakabugo et al., 2020). This study explored the impact of the Art World Design Thinking Process (AWDTP) on enhancing pedagogical creativity among early childhood education (ECE) preservice teachers. Employing a quasi-experimental design within a Concurrent Embedded Mixed Methods framework (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017), the research was conducted across two teacher training institutions, engaging 64 participants divided into control and experimental groups. The study was guided by four objectives: (1) to assess the relationship between AWDTP and creativity in material utilization; (2) to examine its impact on methodological creativity; (3) to evaluate the influence of AWDTP on spatial creativity in learning environments; and (4) to determine the overall contribution of AWDTP to pedagogical creativity. The intervention involved the integration of AWDTP into the experimental group’s teacher training experience. Data collection tools included a structured teacher creativity observation checklist and a focus group interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent samples tests, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings demonstrated that the AWDTP significantly enhanced participants’ pedagogical creativity, aligning with contemporary theories of creative teaching and design based pedagogy (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2014; Rauth et al., 2010). In conclusion, the Art World Design Thinking Process presents a promising approach for cultivating creativity among early childhood educators. The study contributes to global discourse on improving the quality of early childhood teaching and learning by embedding creative pedagogical frameworks into teacher preparation programs.