Jul 2026· International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research· 0 citations
Abstract
This study explores how creative thinking emerges in language classrooms through the interaction of instructional practices, learner cognition, and curriculum constraints. Grounded in an integrated framework that combines Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, Guilford and Runco's divergent thinking theory, and Amabile's componential creativity theory, the study adopts a qualitative interpretivist design based on semi-structured interviews with 22 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Amman, Jordan. Thematic analysis reveals that dialogic and interactive instructional strategies enable creative engagement by stimulating fluency, flexibility, and originality in language use. However, rigid syllabi, limited instructional time, and the high-stakes Tawjihi examination constrain these practices. Crucially, curriculum constraints do not merely reduce creativity but reshape how teachers operationalize creative pedagogy, leading to adaptive practices such as "small creativity” brief, compressed creative episodes embedded within examination preparation lessons. The study also identifies second language (L2) proficiency as a condition shaping the expression of creative thinking, showing that lower-proficiency learners may struggle to demonstrate creative thinking even when instructional conditions are supportive. The study concludes that creative thinking is mediated, bounded, and a proficiency-conditioned process, not an individual cognitive trait. This research contributes to the EFL creativity literature by documenting how Jordanian teachers negotiate the interaction of pedagogy, learner cognition, linguistic proficiency, and curriculum constraints under the Tawjihi system, while identifying the adaptive practice of "small creativity" as a contextually situated pedagogical response to institutional constraints. The findings extend understandings of creativity in language education by demonstrating how teachers adapt creative pedagogies within examination-oriented environments rather than abandoning them.
Students’ creativity constitutes a central cognitive–pedagogical capacity that supports speaking skill development within a Constructivism framework, particularly in primary education. Despite its theoretical importance, empirical evidence indicates that the integration of creativity-oriented constructivist strategies in speaking classrooms remains limited, especially in developing contexts. Addressing this gap, this study explores how constructivist pedagogy facilitates students’ creativity in speaking classes. It examines: (1) how constructivist learning models influence creativity, (2) which learning activities are perceived as effective in stimulating creativity, and (3) the challenges faced by teachers in implementation. This qualitative case study involved two English teachers and thirty fifth-grade students, with data collected from six classroom sessions. Data sources included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and lesson plan documentation. Students’ creativity was operationalized through indicators of idea fluency, originality, flexibility in language use, and elaboration in speaking performance. Data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis to identify recurring instructional patterns. The findings indicate that constructivist practices enhance students’ creativity through interactive learning, scaffolding, and performance-based assessment. Teachers perceived project-based learning, contextual tasks, and collaborative discussions as effective in fostering creative expression. However, challenges include limited linguistic proficiency, cognitive readiness, and instructional constraints. This study contributes empirically grounded insights into the operationalization of creativity within constructivist speaking instruction at the primary level.
Ni Luh Candra Dewi, D. S. Ciptaningrum· Ilomata International Journa...· 0 citations
This study investigates the implementation of Mindful, Meaningful, and Joyful Learning (MMJL) principles within the Merdeka Curriculum framework in English language teaching at SDN 01 Pijot Utara. The research subjects consisted of a sixth-grade English teacher who served as both the designer of the Teaching Module and the classroom practitioner, along with sixth-grade students as secondary participants. Adopting a qualitative descriptive case study design grounded in Policy Enactment theory, data were collected through document analysis of the Teaching Module and systematic classroom observations. The findings reveal that while the MMJL principles are thoroughly embedded in the macro-structural design of the Teaching Module and successfully enacted during foundational and receptive instructional phases, a significant divergence occurs during productive phases. Activities demanding student autonomy, such as independent writing, reflection, and collaborative summarization, were only partially enacted, largely due to a lack of anticipatory scaffolding in the written plan and the persistence of teacher-centered norms intended to manage classroom silence. The study concludes that although MMJL principles effectively support classroom management and emotional well-being, their potential to drive higher-order intellectual engagement remains constrained by the gap between policy intentions and classroom realities. Practically, this research contributes to curriculum development and teacher training by recommending that Teaching Modules evolve into dynamic pedagogical instruments, supplemented by anticipatory scaffolds and differentiated strategies, to bridge the distance between curriculum vision and practice.
Muhamad Romzi Romzi, M. Junaidi, Ahmad Yusri et al.· Journal of Authentic Researc...· 0 citations
This cross-national study investigates how creative thinking is manifested through design-based learning (DBL) in Singapore, Finland, and Hungary. Moving beyond the standardized metrics of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 assessment, this research utilizes a practice-based lens to examine the specific pedagogical mechanisms—problem framing, materialization, iteration, and social context—that structure everyday classroom activity. The analysis reveals that creative thinking is not a static individual trait but a situated practice profoundly shaped by institutional conditions and the degree of curricular embedding. By analyzing diverse educational settings, the study identifies how different instructional architectures prioritize specific dimensions of the creative process, from initial brainstorming to technical realization. The findings show that creative thinking does not develop evenly across domains simply through exposure to open-ended tasks. Instead, creative engagement becomes patterned through repeated participation in particular forms of design practice. Where design processes are explicitly taught and systematically reinforced, students are better able to sustain evaluation and refinement; where design activity is exploratory but weakly scaffolded, creative thinking tends to remain concentrated in ideation and expressive exploration. By bridging large-scale assessment frameworks with local classroom realities, this article argues that creative profiles are pedagogical products rather than inherent student attributes. The study suggests that fostering advanced creative competencies requires moving beyond generic “openness” toward structured, domain-sensitive instruction that legitimizes and supports iterative improvement alongside initial idea generation.
R. Berko, Amna Qureshi, Wei Leong Leon Loh et al.· The International Journal of...· 0 citations
Oral corrective feedback (OCF) is widely recognised as a key pedagogical mechanism in the development of second language speaking proficiency; however, existing research has largely examined OCF in controlled settings or focused on isolated feedback types, offering limited insight into how feedback is interpreted, negotiated, and enacted within authentic classroom interaction. Addressing this gap, this qualitative study examines how cognitive, social, and affective processes shape teachers’ and students’ experiences of feedback in Chinese university English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. Rather than treating OCF as a purely technical corrective move, the study conceptualises it as a relational and context-sensitive pedagogical process. Drawing on interactionist and sociocultural perspectives, the study investigates the perspectives of 12 university English teachers and 24 undergraduate students across fluency- and accuracy-oriented speaking tasks. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, non-participant classroom observations, and stimulated-recall sessions, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that OCF is understood not merely as a technical response to linguistic error but as a relational pedagogical practice embedded in task demands, classroom norms, and interpersonal considerations. Teachers emphasised the strategic calibration of timing, explicitness, and scaffolding to support noticing and self-repair, while students foregrounded relational sensitivity, emotional safety, and face protection as conditions for meaningful engagement with feedback. Three interrelated tensions were identified: negotiating explicit correction alongside affective comfort, managing face and hierarchical relations during public feedback, and orchestrating teacher, peer, self-, and technology-supported feedback within everyday classroom activity. Overall, the study demonstrates that the effectiveness of OCF emerges from the dynamic coordination of cognitive, affective, and interactional factors rather than from isolated feedback techniques. The study contributes to EFL pedagogy in Asian higher education by offering a reconceptualised understanding of OCF as a relational, affect-sensitive, and contextually mediated process, with implications for designing task-sensitive and learner-responsive feedback practices.
Rong Zhu, M. Mokhtar· Asian-Pacific Journal of Sec...· 0 citations
Classroom discourses play a crucial role in shaping how learners understand mathematical concepts, particularly in multilingual South African classrooms. This qualitative study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine how the language practices, teacher–student interactions, and underlying power relations influence learning in a series of Grade 10 lessons on functions. Drawing on Fairclough’s CDA framework, the study analyzes transcripts of three consecutive lessons to explore how teacher authority, questioning patterns, and classroom norms affect learner participation. The findings show that the teacher’s dominant use of the Initiation–Response–Evaluation pattern and procedural explanations limit opportunities for learner reasoning and autonomy. Code-switching emerges as a supportive strategy for bridging linguistic gaps; however, it also reveals tensions between the language of instruction and learners’ home languages. The results indicate that current discourse practices prioritize efficiency and correctness, contributing to surface-level understanding rather than conceptual engagement. The study recommends a shift toward dialogic and learner-centered approaches that promote equitable participation and deeper mathematical thinking. By highlighting how language and power operate in everyday classroom talk, this research provides insights for improving mathematics teaching in multilingual contexts.
M. Machaba, R. Ngoako· The International Journal of...· 0 citations
This study aims to address the growing need for critical thinking in the information age, and the documented challenges of fostering critical thinking among Chinese EFL learners who are often constrained by linguistic limitations and a cultural reluctance to challenge authority. Based on a single-case implementation of an adapted literature circle activities model with intermediate English majors at a private Chinese college, and using James Joyce’s “Araby” as the focal text, the researcher intends to determine whether, and through what mechanisms, critical thinking can be developed in this context. Data were collected through classroom video recordings, student work samples, teacher reflective journals, and pre- and post-lesson interviews. The findings indicate marked improvement in five dimensions of critical thinking which are active participation, reasoned discussion, curiosity and confidence, multiple perspectives, and empathetic engagement, and this improvement is attributed to three interacting factors: the intrinsic properties of the literary text, the streamlined four-task circle design, and the teacher’s scaffolding role. Therefore, the case study suggests that adapted literature circle activities can effectively bridge language teaching and intellectual growth to cultivate in students a disposition toward questioning that begins with textual interpretation and extends to self-reflection.
Zhaoyu Yang· English Language Teaching an...· 0 citations
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