The impact of students’ attitudes about distance learning on their creativity

Abstract

Introduction. Since 2020, education systems around the world had to shift from traditional classroom-based methods of teaching and learning to different types of remote or distance learning. Therefore, the shift to distance learning is able to provide some understanding on how this model of learning influences student motivation and creativity. Purpose. The study aimed to reveal how student positive or negative attitudes about distance learning influenced their creativity. Methods. The intervention took place at V.O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv in Ukraine. The research was based on such methodology as a document analysis of student works, conducting a survey, and the correlation analysis. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, a Likert scale questionnaire, the correlation analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were utilized as the research procedure. Results. The research findings revealed that while studying remotely on the elective course of Marketing during 2020-2021 academic year at V.O. Sukhomlynskyi National University of Mykolaiv, students’ attitudes toward distance learning in terms of their attitude to the platform used by the teacher affected their creativity. Conclusion. The main implication of the study is that educators should pay more attention to the platform of distance learning they use to teach students remotely. Understanding that students’ attitudes toward the necessity to study remotely may decrease their creativity, teachers can redirect remote learning toward blended learning and combining traditional and distance forms of learning to support the high level of student creativity.