Dynamic Assessment of Creativity for Diagnostic Purposes

Abstract. The present paper aims to propose the dynamic assessment of creativity for diagnostic purposes, which combines the sociocultural approach to creativity with the findings of creative cognition research. A traditional theorization viewed creativity mainly as an ability of individuals and its expression depending on the extent to which their environment allows and supports it. According to the individualistic approach of creativity, static testing has been its predominant psychological assessment. However, the traditional approach to creativity has been criticized from a sociocultural theoretical perspective that regards creativity as distributed cognition between the mind and culture in recent years. Based on sociocultural theory, dynamic assessment of creativity is an alternative process to static testing for assessing creative potential. Besides testing, in dynamic assessment, the cognitive strategies of creativity that creative cognition research has revealed are mediated in children as symbolic tools or signs. Therefore, in dynamic assessment, sociocultural theory is combined with creative cognition. In the present paper, initially, we present the relevant theory and research on dynamic assessment and creative cognition. Next, studies applying dynamic assessment to children of different ages and devising the mediation protocol will be discussed. Finally, we will consider the psychological and educational implications of dynamic assessment of children’s creativity.