Which is more creative, the arts or the sciences? | Mind & Brain - Science Daily

Summary: An expert in creativity and innovation is calling for schools and universities to increase their emphasis on teaching creativity, as new research shows it is a core competency across all disciplines and critical for ensuring future job success.

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Research confirms creativity is key for both by Jenny Qian, University of South Australia. 

Which is more creative, the arts or the sciences?

Photo: University of South Australia

International expert in creativity and innovation, UniSA's Professor David Cropley, is calling for Australian schools and universities to increase their emphasis on teaching creativity, as new research shows it is a core competency across all disciplines and critical for ensuring future job success.

Conducted in partnership with visiting PhD researcher Kim van Broekhoven from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the research explores the nature of creativity in determining if specific differences exist between creativity in the sciences and creativity in the arts.

The researchers found that creativity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is very similar to creativity in the arts, indicating that a holistic approach to teaching creativity in schools and universities, would benefit all...

"As it turns out, creativity is general in nature -- it is essentially a multi-faceted competency that involves similar attitudes, disposition, skills and knowledge, all transferrable from one situation to another."So, whether you're in art, maths or engineering, you'll share an openness to new ideas, divergent thinking, and a sense of flexibility.

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Additional resources

Journal Reference:

Kim van Broekhoven, David Cropley, Philipp Seegers. Differences in creativity across Art and STEM students: We are more alike than unalike. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2020; 38: 100707 DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100707

Source: Science Daily