The Construction of a Creativity Test
Like the development and measurement of other tests, in the development of creativity test, planning, preparing questions, selecting question by analysis of items, evaluation of test are the four major steps that are followed. The work done under these four steps is roughly same as displayed during the construction of any Acquisition Test or Intellectual test. Often, in order to select the items for creativity tests, item validity and item discrimination is established and for this, the correlation coefficients between test score and items score are calculated and the comparison of high and low creative groups with respect to item scores, the T values are calculated. While calculating the validity and item discrimination, most of the test creators use the creative scores given by the test items. This process of item analysis for the measurement and construction of creativity test does appear to be appropriate. In fact there is some fundamental difference between the acquisition, intellectual and the nature of creativity test. Because of which using the similar method of item analysis for both of these tests is not right from the psychometric viewpoint.
In Acquisition and Intellectual test there is only once answer to the given question, and the student is awarded only one mark over one question. The Acquisition test or Intellectual test score is counted by calculating the individual marks. However this does not happen in the creativity test. In creativity test there could be many reactions by the applicant. Hence the applicant is encouraged to give many reactions. The evaluation of these reactions is done on the basis of his ability to think in a new way and imagination instead of True and False. Three or four kinds of scores are given on the viewpoint of different parameters (Fluency, Flexibility, originality etc) over the reactions given on the same question. In this fashion we get many other scores (for Fluency, Flexibility, originality etc) along with the creativity score for any person. These scores obtained on any question or total tests are obtained by analyzing the same reaction/reactions in different manners. For instance if a student has given total four reactions over any question of creativity test, then for fluency he may get 4 marks for fluency, 3 for flexibility and 2 for originality. It is evident that the number of responses have been taken into consideration first time while awarding the score, secondly the types of nature of the responses has been observed, and thirdly the uniqueness of the responses has been taken into consideration. The total score of these three score will be the score of the creativity on that question. Surely the creativity score will indicate the Global Creativity of any person over that question. But on the basis of this, we do not get the Fluency, Flexibility or Originality of that person over that question, however various responses are measured in this fashion. Hence selecting the question by analyzing the items with the help of creativity score does seem desirable.
It could be said that even in Acquisition and Intellectual Test only dimensional scores are obtained, which after addition provide the total Acquisition or Intellectual Score. But the nature of these scores so obtained and the score obtained in creativity test is significantly different. In Acquisition or Intellectual tests, the dimensions are created by dividing the content, and any question can come under one dimension only. Student gets only one mark over one question, which only contributes to the score of that dimension. It has no contribution in any other dimension. Obviously, in such a situation, dimensions are mutually independent. On the contrary, under the creativity test, the dimensions, instead of depending on the division of the content, depend on the analysis of the reaction on the basis of various parameters. The responses given over any question provide the scores of all the dimensions. As result by calculating the creativity score by adding the dimensional scores becomes more practically appropriate, however it is un-appropriate to accept it for item analysis from the viewpoint of statistics. The item analysis for creativity test shall be to select such questions which are capable of provoking the more and more manifestation of a person’s fluency, flexibility and originality. For this, some other distinct specific method shall be followed of item analysis. In other words either a total score shall be obtained for creativity instead of obtaining the distinct scores for fluency, flexibility or originality or item analysis should be done with respect to different dimensional scores. If only the creativity scores are to be obtained, then, item validity and item discrimination could be known from the simple methods, the questions with more item validity and item discrimination could be included in the final blue print of the test.
In order to do the item analysis of the test that cause the fluency, flexibility and originality score of the creativity test, some specific methods shall be used. There could be two options for it. According to the conventional thinking of test creation, under the first option, such questions could be selected by analyzing the items validity and item discrimination for every question which are valid or discriminate with respect to all dimensions. Definitely then we shall find the various item validity or discrimination coefficients (one of each dimension of creativity) for the same question. And item will selected on the basis of these coefficients. This method of computing the item validity or item discrimination by doing the item analysis separately for all dimensions seems unfeasible with respect to time and effort.
By looking at the nature of the dimensions of the creativity test, it could be said the objective of creativity test is to bring out the hidden creativity of a person, so that fluency, flexibility and originality could be measured in his personality. Because the responses given over a question by a person is not true or false, therefore if two people give the same number of responses over the same question, then the score with respect to different dimensions could be different as well as the creativity score. In the same fashion two people can given distinct number of reaction over the same questions and yet there score could be same. In this scenario, as per the writer, the only basis for selecting question while doing the item analysis by establishing item validity and item discrimination , shall be the ability of the questions to invoke the reflection in the applicant with respect to fluency, flexibility or originality. In other words, the question which are more capable of invoking manifestation of creativity with respect to fluency, flexibility and originality, shall be included in the test being developed for the measurement of creativity. Definitely the mean of scores on any question of some large groups of the people over the different dimension of creativity on any question will indicate the ability of that question to invoke manifestation of creativity. The higher mean on any question with respect to fluency, flexibility and originality indicates that this question has been able to invoke the greater manifestation of these dimensions.
On any question, the elaboration of the dimensional scores or the standard deviation by people will be the indicators of the ability of discrimination over the different dimension of that item among people. If the standard deviation of dimensional scores is higher, this indicates that the heterogeneity is more in the group over the scores obtained on that dimension. It is evident that more is the standard deviation on the scores of fluency, flexibility and originality over any question means the ability to discriminate people on the basis of these qualities. Hence only the questions that should be included in the creativity test for which the mean various dimensional scores and the standard deviation are higher. These questions shall be able to provoke the creativity of the people in larger extent as well as shall be able to discriminate them over various creative abilities. Hence it could be said as a result that while doing the item analysis for the creativity test, different scores over different dimensions of these questions shall be obtained beforehand. Then the standard deviations shall be calculated for the different dimensions. Thereafter such questions shall be selected for which the standard deviation and the mean deviation over all dimensions are higher.
Some Tests of Creativity
As it is already discussed that many tests have been developed and tested for the measurement of creativity, a brief description has been presented for the knowledge of the readers.
1. Guilford and Merrifield Test for College Students
According to Guilford and Merrifield in creative thinking, the abilities of Divergent Production, Transformation , Re-Definition are present. He prepared a test to measure the creativity of the college students, in which he included six main factors:
- Sensitivity towards any problem
- Flexibility
- Fluency
- Originality
- Elaboration
- Re-definition
This series of test prepared by Torrance has two main tests—First, Verbal test which is called thinking creatively with the words, and the other one is, Figural test, which is called thinking creatively with the figures. In this series of test there are four main functions:
- To ask as many questions as possible regarding any question
- To suggest changes for the improvement of any toy
- To tell many uses of a simple item
- To draw a picture around some given curve line and suggest its title
This test awards four different scores , fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration.
3. Passi’s Tests of Creativity
This creativity test, developed by Prof. B.K. Passi from Indore 1972, has six sub tests:
- Seeing Problem Test
- Unusual Uses Test
- Consequences Test
- Test of Inquisitiveness
- Square Puzzle Test
- Blocks Test
It is evident that this test includes both, verbal and non-verbal tasks. On this test, along with the creativity score we get fourteen dimensional scores as well. However the manual for this test is in English only however test booklets are available in Hindi & English both.
4. Baqer Mehdi Test of Creative Thinking
This creativity test series, by Baqer Mehdi of Aligarh., has two tests (i) Verbal test of creative thinking (ii) Thinking Creatively with Figures. The first test is a verbal test, there are four main functions that are carried on:
- Consequences Test
- Unusual uses Test
- New Relationship Test
- Product Improvement Test
With the help of this test, the three factors of creativity, namely Fluency, Flexibility, and Originality are measured.
The other test created by Baqer Mehdi which is a non-verbal test, has three main steps:
- Draw a picture
- Complete picture and suggest title
- Triangular and Elliptical shapes
This test helps in measuring the two main factors of creativity, Elaboration and Originality.
Summary
- Everyday there are new inventions in this age of scientific, technological and industrial development. Where there is tireless effort of the scientists behind the majority of these inventions, their creativity has not contributed any less. Earlier it was believed that only writers, poets, painters, musician etc. were only the creative people, however it is now believed that creativity can be expressed in all spheres of human life. In fact creativity is found in all livings beings in the world, some have less of it and some have more. In order to make the human life convenient, to do new inventions and to find solutions of problems, creativity plays an important role.
- In words of Dravehel, “Creativity is that human ability by which he can express any thought or creation.”
- It is evident from the analysis of above definitions that creativity is primarily related to originality and newness. Creativity aims at the effort of looking at the problems in a new way and finding solution. In other words, creativity is the ability which enables a person to think and reflect in a new way to find a smart solution for any problem. Aside from the popular ways, the ability of working and reflecting in a new way is the creativity.
- Although creativity is a mental ability, yet the measurement of creativity is a complex work in comparison of the measurement of other mental abilities. The creativity comprises of many abilities of doing unique, explicit, wide and complex works. Therefore it is a difficult task to measure the creativity.
- This is prerequisite before preparing any test to measure any factor or constituent of creativity, that, this factor or constituent of creativity shall be implicitly and objectively defined.
- Although many tests have been prepared to measure the creativity, yet these creative tests have failed to prove any practical usefulness. Credibility of most of the tests is doubtful.
- By looking at the nature of the dimensions of the creativity test, it could be said the objective of creativity test is to bring out the hidden creativity of a person, so that fluency, flexibility and originality could be measured in his personality. Because the responses given over a question by a person is not true or false.
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