https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/114731 2026-05-07T12:51:05Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141126 Title: Creative self-beliefs : perspectives on an intervention study with pre-service teachers Abstract: Creativity is considered a fundamental factor in the 21st century. Students must learn to handle the challenges of increasing uncertainty and ambiguity in this day and age. In this scenario, teachers are critical in facilitating students' engagement with a creative mindset and developing creative thinking skills. Therefore, the intervention study aims to explore if and how creative mindset intervention can be an effective tool to facilitate a cognitive shift in pre-service teachers' creative mindset perception. The study consists of three phases: (a) pre-test, (b) intervention, and (c) post-test. Ten pre-service teachers took part in the intervention study, which started with open-ended questions aimed at exploring their conceptualization of creativity, its relationship with definite psychological constructs and its interconnection with teaching. These pre-service teachers participated in a 4-hour classroom intervention with workshops and activities following which a reflective focus group was set up to collect feedback. The findings reflect how pre-service teachers conceive creativity as a psycho-cognitive process strictly interrelated with curiosity and intuition and essential for teaching. Furthermore, pre-service teachers testified to having experienced a cognitive shift in their creative beliefs such as creative self-awareness, self confidence, and creative mindset. Findings also provided insightful guidelines on the intervention's affordances and limitations. On the one hand, pre-service teachers found the intervention successful in terms of the tools provided, mindset fostered, and group dynamics whilst on the other, they would incorporate warm-up activities to prepare participants better, offer extensive materials to facilitate comprehension, allocate additional time for specific activities, and alternate between tasks during the idea generation tools activity. The practical implications are significant, as an intervention based on creative thinking and growth mindset principles can profoundly influence the creative self-perception of pre-service teachers. Teachers could take inspiration from the intervention presented in the study to build personalized activities based on idea generation tools, think and share as well as brainstorming techniques to shape their students' or pre-service teachers' creative mindsets. Description: M. CI(Melit.) 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/115445 Title: The impact of a players' creativity on performance when playing a board game Abstract: This research investigated the role of creativity in board games and its influence on players' gameplay and board game score ranking. It addressed the following three research questions: How does creativity influence the individual's board game gameplay? What are the constraints players encounter during gameplay and how do these constraints influence the creative process in the gameplay experience? And the last question, how and why is participants’ self-concept of creativity changing after the gameplay? By evaluating the action-taking performance, this research examined the relationship between creative behaviour and gameplay of the board game Pictures. For the purposes of this research, participants were divided into two groups: a high-creative group and a low-creative group. By using the Short Scale of Creative Self (Karwowski, 2011b), players' creativity levels were assessed. Game scores, gameplay observation and focus groups were used to gather data. The observation demonstrated how, among other things, motivation, openness to new experiences, and creative problem-solving have a significant impact on the person’s gameplay. The focus groups revealed how creative people's characteristics and constraints that were displayed during gameplay influenced players' gameplay. This research has demonstrated how creative thinking has an effect on enjoyment and motivation during gameplay, especially in regard to players’ engagement, competence, autonomy, and intuitive control. Description: M. CI(Melit.) 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/115444 Title: Leaders’ attitudes towards the link between mindfulness and creativity Abstract: Introduction – This study addresses a gap in the literature by exploring leaders’ attitudes towards the link between mindfulness and creativity. It contributes to the understanding of these concepts and discusses how they intersect and potentially influence leadership effectiveness. Purpose - The study explores leaders' familiarity with mindfulness and their attitudes towards its connection to creativity, specifically focusing on creative skills and task motivation. Additionally, it addresses whether leaders' familiarity with mindfulness influences their perception of its value and effects, and to what extent. A comparison was also made between leaders who practice mindfulness and those who do not. Methodology – Data was gathered using a qualitative, exploratory research approach through the implementation of semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two respondents were interviewed, divided into two groups, based on whether they practiced mindfulness or not. The data was analysed using thematic analysis in order to address the research questions. Findings – The study revealed that the majority of leaders recognised a relationship between mindfulness and creativity, highlighting both the direct and indirect links. While most leaders are unaware of how mindfulness may affect one’s creative skills, which they linked to personality, they acknowledged its influence on task motivation. Both groups associated creativity with the arts, yet leaders who practice mindfulness displayed higher levels of knowledge and awareness regarding the values and effects of mindfulness on creativity, compared to the group that did not practice mindfulness. The study identifies potential areas for future research in the field of mindfulness, creativity, and leadership, through the various themes that emerged. Description: M. CI(Melit.) 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/115443 Title: Exploring the perceptions of mental health professionals on the effects of burnout on creative self-efficacy : a case study Abstract: Over and above the challenges faced by other health professionals, mental health professionals have to deal with specific work stressors exclusive to the psychiatric field, exposing them to a higher risk of burnout. Meanwhile, a growing body of research has been focusing on how creativity and its subfields may feature in healthcare to address particular work challenges. The link between perceived burnout and perceived creative self-efficacy and any factors which may be perceived to influence it, will be explored from the perspective of mental health professionals, specifically in the context of a mental health setting. Through snowball and purposive sampling, 12 mental health professionals working within a Maltese governmental mental health entity were recruited to participate in a qualitative case study research design. The respondents were subsequently interviewed. Data from semi-structured interviews was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Findings revealed that perceived burnout may negatively influence perceived creative self-efficacy through perception, self-beliefs, motivation, a negative frame of mind and openness to experience. Both organisational factors incorporating the work environment and managerial and team factors; and individual factors were perceived to play a role in the link between the two constructs being studied. These findings are further elaborated through a conceptual model presented in this study, which adds to the understanding of the challenges within the local mental health services and denotes practical solutions. Clinical implications for clinicians, supervisors and top management and recommendations for future research are discussed. Description: M. CI(Melit.) 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z