The construct of self-regulation has been well researched, however, no comprehensive approach is available for promoting self-regulation as a strength operating in an integrated process, and, furthermore, current research gives limited consideration regarding the role of creativity in the self-regulation process. The objective of this study was to explore the relation between self-regulation and creativity, and to promote self-regulation as a psychological strength by means of a creativity programme in the field of painting in a group of individuals.
Self-regulation is described in the literature as a skill that is acquired through an interaction of neurological and environmental factors that enables a person to intentionally accept agency of his or her actions. Creative self-regulation is conceptualised as the ability to generate original, novel and appropriate behaviour while constantly adjusting and adapting behaviour with a view to attain goals and promoting psychological well-being.
A qualitative, interpretative design was used in the initial empirical inquiry to explore the subjective experience of 14 established painters in terms of their creativity as a self-regulatory process during the practice of their art. Data was obtained from a questionnaire specifically designed for this study. Thematic data analysis supported the findings of the literature regarding the crucial similarities between self-regulation and creativity, and particular themes concerning the self-regulatory aspects of creativity, such as intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-control, and mindfulness were identified. Additionally, creativity appeared to strongly favour assimilation, which was ascribed to perseverance and a strong identification with goals. Based on the findings of the first two phases of the study, a painting programme was developed with a view to promote self- regulation as an adaptive life skill through the facilitation of creativity. Relevant guidelines for effective programme development have been incorporated into this programme.
In the subsequent empirical study the painting programme was assessed, by means of a mixed experimental control group consisting of 18 patients in a private psychiatric clinic. Pre- and post-testing were conducted by means of the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (General) (BPNS-Gen); the 14 item Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), as well as the Shortened Self Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) to determine whether any improvement in self-regulation occurred within the group. Quantitative data provided information on differences within and between the experimental and control groups, while an additional qualitative m South African children are exposed to an enormous amount of risk factors to their development and adjustment. Research reveals that, in all probability, they do not have sufficient protective factors at their disposal to cope with such stressors. The resilience (in other words the exposure to risk factors and the presence of protective factors) of a group of children, Grade R to Grade 2, in the Klerksdorp area, was analysed by means of focus groups and questionnaires. The focus groups were conducted with 14 teachers and the questionnaires were completed by 30 parents. The study reveals that the children in this group do not exhibit adequate resilience. The results identified themes such as self-esteem, creativity, assertiveness, emotional expression, emotional regulation, impulsivity, self-motivation, social responsibility and empathy. A programme (based on the Alvord-Baker model of social skills), focusing these themes, was developed in order to facilitate resilience.
The Alvord-Baker model of social skills focuses on a pro-active orientation. The Resilience programme consists of eight sessions of one hour duration. During the sessions, music, dance and art activities are presented by way of groups. The themes of the sessions were intrapersonal factors (for example self-esteem and assertiveness), interpersonal factors (for example empathy and social responsibilty), stressmanagement (for example emotional expression and emotional regulation, as well as impulse control), general mood (for example self-motivation) and problem solving (for example creativity and emotional creativity).
To determine the effectiveness of the compound programme, quantitative dominated, mixed methods were used. This means that, even though a quantitative research design was used (namely a two group, pre-test, post-test design), a qualitative procedure (namely a focusgroup and interviews), was used in addition. The selected group consisted of 22 children (Grade R=7, Grade 1=7, Grade 2=8), of whom 11 were male and 11 female. The participants were selected systematically from two schools (School1=12, School 2=10). The experimental (n=10) and control (n=12) groups underwent pre- and post-testing (30 days after completion of the intervention). The Resilience programme was only presented to the experimental group. The battery of tests that was compiled to evaluate the effectiveness of the Resilience programme consisted of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1974) and the Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale-BERS (Epstein & Sharma, 19980. In addition, focus groups with the teachers involved were used, as well as interviews with the parents of the children from the experimental group.
The experimental group showed improvement in certain aspects of resilience, for example intrapersonal strengths, interpersonal strengths, affective trengths, school functioning, family involvement, verbal fluancy, flexibility and originality, as well as figurative fluancy, flexibility and originality. The differences between the experimental and control groups were smaller than expected. It can be stated, however, that the Resilience programme was effective in facilitating resilience in the group of children.
A limitation of the study was that the practical significance was small and only statistically significant in a few cases. The parents and teachers could have been involved more actively in the process. Furthermore, it seems as if that future resilience programmes should be of longer duration in order for participants to have more opportunity to internalise and generalise the acquired skills.
It is recommended that resilience programmes should form part of the school curriculum in learning areas such as Life orientation. ethod was used for examining the progress of the experimental group during the course of the programme.
The results indicated that the programme brought about a significant positive change in self-regulation among the experimental group. Certain self-regulation factors, especially mindfulness, but also autonomy, decision-making, and self-evaluation appeared to have improved to a practically significant degree, whilst perseverance showed a lesser improvement of medium effect. This study therefore concluded that creativity appears to equip a person with specific skills that play a crucial role in the facilitation of self- regulation in all the phases of goal-directed behaviour. The limitations of this study were discussed and recommendations for further research and practical implementation were made. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/9015 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Du Preez, Melanie |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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