| The literature on the relationship between intelligence and creativity was contradictory, inconsistent, and outdated. This relationship needed clarification with current research. Results have implications for decisions related to identification, eligibility, curriculum, and instructional planning for academically or intellectually gifted students. A quantitative, non-experimental causal-comparative and correlational study compared measures of creativity between three gifted programs and investigated the relationship between intelligence and creativity in gifted students. The sample ( N = 233) consisted of 101 males and 132 females in grades three to six identified as academically or intellectually gifted in one of three Gifted Education Programs: IGNITE Title I, IGNITE, and Highly Gifted. The participants ranged in age from 8 to 12 and attended one of eight public elementary schools in the Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska. The sample included students attending high poverty, disadvantaged, and at-risk schools to upper-middle class schools. Participants completed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: Figural to assess creative thinking ability. The researcher reviewed existing records contained in the Gifted Program office to collect intelligence scores from the Cognitive Abilities Test. Results indicated no significant or practical difference in measures of creativity between gifted programs. There was no significant effect on creativity due to gifted program membership. Results indicated no significant relationship between intelligence and creativity in gifted students. Results do not support the Threshold theory. Intelligence and creativity appear to be independent mental abilities. The researcher provided recommendations for further research. |
