Torrance tests of creative thinking identify hidden talents of children seen as behavior problems
The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), familiar to most educators in
gifted education, can be used by educators to identify hidden talents in
children who are seen as behavior problems, according to a report in Gifted
Child Quarterly, which provides updated information on the 40-year-old test.
"The recent and growing emphasis on identifying and nurturing talents in
youth has created a need for discovering a broad array of talents using a
variety of measures," according to the University of Georgia authors. "The TTCT
are especially useful for identifying more students from underserved
populations, because they are not as culturally loaded as other standardized
assessments that might be used." The tests can be used to redirect children's
misbehavior toward more positive pursuits.
Abbreviated test for adults can be used for screening
An abbreviated TTCT has been developed for adults. While the test does not
have the same long trail of history and research, it is suitable for screening
and shows promise for increased use because it can be administered in only 15
minutes. The test is appropriate for use with children; however, additional
research should be done to establish its validity and reliability with that
group.
E. Paul Torrance, creator of the tests, became interested in testing
creativity after observing that many children seen as behavior problems were
often also very creative. The test is composed of five verbal activities and
three figural activities. Because the items are open-ended, students can express
their interests, fears, hopes and knowledge about diverse topics and emotional
states. There are five norm-referenced scores for fluency, originality,
elaboration, abstractness of titles and resistance to premature close and 13
criterion-referenced measures of creative strength derived from years of
creativity testing and research.
The TTCT has been shown to have predictive value for creative achievement in
adulthood based on longitudinal studies. From 1958 through 1964 all pupils
enrolled in grades 1-6 in two elementary schools took the tests and were
followed up 22 years and 40 years later for creative achievement. Beginning in
1959 all members of a high school population were tested and then followed up
after 7 years and then 12 years. "A Report on the 40-Year Follow-Up of the
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: Alive and Well in the New Millennium",
Gifted Child Quarterly, Volume 49 Number 4, Fall 2005.
Published in ERN November/December 2005 Volume 18 Number 9
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