Criteria and Diagnostic Indicators for Assessing the Creative Skills of Future Teachers

Abstract

This article examines the problem of assessing the creative skills of future teachers and proposes a five-component system of criteria comprising cognitive, motivational, operational-creative, reflective, and outcome-based dimensions. The methodological foundations of the study include Torrance’s theory of divergent thinking, Guilford’s structure-of-intellect model, Amabile’s componential theory of creativity, Sternberg’s investment theory, and Schön’s concept of reflective practice. A set of specific, measurable indicators is identified for each criterion: breadth of knowledge and divergent and associative thinking for the cognitive criterion; intrinsic motivation and a need for professional self-development for the motivational criterion; the ability to devise unconventional solutions and design instructional technologies for the operational-creative criterion; the capacity to analyze and evaluate one’s own activity for the reflective criterion; and the originality and sustainability of the pedagogical products created for the outcome-based criterion. The proposed system enables a holistic and dynamic assessment of future teachers’ creative potential.