This study was a phenomenological investigation of Research and Development scientists' experience of creative self-efficacy. Creative self-efficacy is defined as an individual's belief in his or her ability to be creative in a given situation. A phenomenological research model (Moustakas, 1994) guided the investigation. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews with the 12 participants, a review of documents collected from participants, and researcher's reflective journal. Core findings that emerged were that creative self-efficacy seems to operate below the surface of awareness for the R&D scientist; it is not something he or she would have thought about until asked, and positively influences creative performance. Creative self-efficacy can be traced back to age four to twelve through the act of building things and making things work. It is influenced by freedom and thought space to be creative, along with positive feedback. Finally, creative self-efficacy contributes to the creative process providing confidence in the R&D scientist to use novel and new approaches to solve technical problems. Future research implications in the area of educational practice, the professional development of R&D scientists, organizational development, and society, are also discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/6177 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Laws, Judy. |
| Contributors | Leroux, Janice, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 187 p. |
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