FROM PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS TO CREATIVE CLASSROOM PRACTICE: EVIDENCE FROM STUDENT TEACHERS IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

This descriptive mixed-methods study examined how student teachers understand educational philosophy and how philosophical learning is perceived and observed in relation to creative classroom practice in Sri Lanka. The study focused on progressivism, constructivism, essentialism, and existentialism and considered four dimensions of creative thinking: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. The quantitative component involved 40 fourth-year Bachelor of Education students from four non-state universities, with 10 students from each university, who completed a 20-item five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. A separate classroom observation was conducted with 15 student teachers during Classroom Teaching Skills, a fourth-year component intended to support subsequent teaching practicum. Questionnaire data were analysed using item and domain means, while observation evidence was examined descriptively and thematically. The questionnaire showed a high to very high positive pattern, with an overall item mean of 4.40/5.00. The highest-rated areas were supervisor and mentor support (M = 4.90), explicit integration of philosophical ideas into lesson planning (M = 4.75), and movement from teacher-centred lecturing towards student-centred facilitation (M = 4.68). Flexibility (M = 4.65), creative risk-taking (M = 4.65), elaboration (M = 4.58), and originality (M = 4.38) were also positively rated. Observation scores ranged from 74 to 83 out of 100, with a mean of 78.4. Observed practices included learning by doing, 5E-oriented facilitation, Socratic questioning, role play, creative teaching aids, use of authentic resources, and positive teacher–student relationships. Areas requiring further development included lesson summarising, time management, differentiation of teacher and student activities, and visibility of teaching aids. The findings indicate a positive perceived association and a plausible theory-to-practice relationship between philosophical learning and creative pedagogy, but they do not establish causation. The study concludes that the philosophy of education is most useful in teacher preparation when taught through enquiry, dialogue, reflection, and explicit connection to classroom decision-making.