title: Enhancing divergent thinking in visual arts education: Effects of explicit instruction of meta-cognition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main purposes of visual arts education concern the enhancement of students' creative processes and the originality of their art products. Divergent thinking is crucial for finding original ideas in the initial phase of a creative process that aims to result in an original product.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to examine the effects of explicit instruction of meta-cognition on students' divergent thinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental design was implemented with 147 secondary school students in visual arts education. In the experimental condition, students attended a series of regular lessons with assignments on art reception and production, and they attended one intervention lesson with explicit instruction of meta-cognition. In the control condition, students attended a series of regular lessons only. Pre-test and post-test instances tests measured fluency, flexibility, and originality as indicators of divergent thinking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Explicit instruction of meta-cognitive knowledge had a positive effect on fluency and flexibility, but not on originality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study implies that in the domain of visual arts, instructional support in building up meta-cognitive knowledge about divergent thinking may improve students' creative processes. This study also discusses possible reasons for the demonstrated lack of effect for originality.
authors.affiliation: University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marie-Thérèse
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: van de Kamp
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Admiraal
authors.forename: Jannet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Drie
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rijlaarsdam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003405:Creativity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D000070777:School Teachers; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: creativity; divergent thinking; explicit instruction; meta-cognition; visual arts education