The challenge of promoting creativity in Hong Kong early childhood context

With rapid changes in our knowledge-based globalised society, the development of creativity is seen as a vital policy in many countries around the world. Hong Kong, has officially issued educational policies that call for promotion of creativity underpinning the reform process. Despite vital policy has been made for more than ten years, promoting creativity is still challenging for Hong Kong preschools as traditional teacher-centred Chinese pedagogy is still predominant. To actualize creativity in education reform, a good understanding of teachers’ beliefs about creative pedagogy and its influence on their actual pedagogical practices is an important first step for policymakers and educators dedicated to pedagogical change. Research findings revealed a relatively weak relationship between the Hong Kong preschool teachers’ beliefs and their actual classroom practices. While most teachers beliefs about good creative practice are similar to those suggested in the literature, their pedagogical practices appeared not to be based on their beliefs. The pressure of insufficient time and the need to teach a prescriptive and overloaded curriculum were found as major barriers to the promotion of creativity in Hong Kong preschools. Based on the Western creative pedagogy found to be important for the development of creativity in the literature, a pedagogical framework for creative practice (PFCP) was developed to help preschool teachers to move their practice from strongly teacher-centred to a more child centred pedagogy. Findings demonstrated that the PFCP had the potential for advancing teachers’ understanding of creative practice and developing competencies in using creativity-fostering pedagogy, even though in teacher-directed activity. Changes in teachers’ perception and pedagogical practice were evident. As creative practice is complex, changing, and developmental, more effort in searching for culturally and contextually appropriate pedagogies that may involve some fusion of Chinese and Western creative pedagogies is needed for the Hong Kong early childhood context.