This article explores approaches aimed at enhancing scientific creativity and the limitations of existing research on their effectiveness.
The article is a critical review of programs and methods designed to enhance creative abilities, known as “creativity trainings”. It specifically examines how effective these trainings are within the context of scientific disciplines and proposes recommendations for more valid research in this area. We reviewed existing literature, including meta-analyses, and found that while creativity trainings are generally seen as effective, there are significant theoretical and methodological limitations that call these conclusions into question, especially for PhD trainings.
The article explores whether training programs can make researchers more creative in their scientific work. While many studies suggest that these trainings are effective, the authors argue that their findings are often flawed. We point out problems like a lack of clear definitions for “creativity” and “creativity training,” small sample sizes in studies, and the fact that most research focuses on children and students rather than professional researchers. We propose ways to improve future studies to get a clearer picture of what really works to boost scientific creativity.
Eric Bonetto
bonetto@adoc-tm.com
Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies on the Doctorate, Adoc Talent Management, 21 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75011 Paris, France