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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Creativity programs

Overview

  • Influence: Creativity programs
  • Domain: Curricula
  • Sub-Domain: Other curricula programs
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Potential to considerably accelerate
  • Influence Definition: Creative thinking programs that aim to impact students' divergent thinking abilities, such as number of responses, flexibility of response categories, originality of responses, and elaboration of responses.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 20
  • Number of studies: 1,292
  • Number of students: 81,351
  • Number of effects: 2,684
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.51
  • Robustness index: 5

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Journal of Creative Behavior Rose & Lin A meta-analysis of long-term creativity training programs 1984 Long term creativity programs 46 NA 46 0.47
Conference paper Cohn A research synthesis of creativity training effectiveness: Methodological issues. 1984 Creativity training effectiveness 106 NA 177 0.55
Conference paper Bangert-Drowns & Bankert Meta-Analysis of Effects of Explicit Instruction for Critical Thinking 1990 Explicit instruction of creativity 20 NA 20 0.37
Dissertation Hollingsworth A meta-analysis of existing creativity training research: An evaluation of program effectiveness and possible confounding variables 1991 Creativity programs 39 NA 39 0.82
Dissertation Conard The arts in education and a meta-analysis 1992 Creative dramatics 20 NA 28 0.48
Dissertation Scope A meta-analysis o research on creativity: the effects of instructional variables 1998 Instructional influences on creativity 30 NA 40 0.90
Creativity Research Journal Scott, Leritz, & Mumford The effectiveness of creativity training: a quantitative review 2004 Creativity programs 70 4,210 70 0.68
Dissertation Bertrand Can Individual Creativity be Enhanced by Training? A Meta Analysis 2005 Creativity programs 45 NA 45 0.64
Dissertation Higgins, Hall, Baumfield, & Moseley A meta-analysis of the impact of the implementation o thinking skills approaches on pupils 2005 Thinking programs on achievement 29 NA 29 0.74
Dissertation Huang Fostering creativity: a meta-analytic inquiry into the variability of effects 2005 Creativity programs 51 NA 62 0.89
Book Berkowitz Developing Critical Thinking Through Forensics and Communication Education: Assessing the Impact Through Meta-Analysis 2006 Various creative communication strategies 23 5,000 39 0.46
Educational Research Review Niu, Behar-Horenstein, & Garvan Do instructional interventions influence college students' critical thinking skills? A meta-analysis 2013 Programs on creative thinking 31 NA 40 0.20
Creative Education Liu & Chang Effectiveness of 4Ps Creativity Teaching for College Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis 2017 4P creativity program 11 745 11 0.95
Asia Pacific Education Review Yu Meta-analysis of the effect of practical reasoning instruction on student outcome in Home Economics education in Korea 2012 Practical reasoning on home economics outcomes 25 NA 35 0.60
Review of Educational Research Huber & Kuncel Does College Teach Critical Thinking? A Meta-Analysis 2016 Programs on creative thinking 71 25,577 71 0.59
Review of Educational Research Abrami, Bernard, Borokhovski, Wade, Surkes, Tamim & Zhang Instructional Interventions Affecting Critical Thinking skills an Dispositions: A Stage I Meta-Analysis 2008 Interventions on critical thinking skills and dispositions 117 20,698 161 0.34
Review of Educational Research Abrami, Bernard, Borokhovski, Waddington, Wade, & Persson Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically: A Meta-Analysis 2015 Teaching students to think critically 341 NA 867 0.33
Communication Education Allen, Berkowitz, Hunt, & Louden A meta-analysis of the impact of forensics and communication education on critical thinking. 2011 Public speaking on critical thinking skills 23 4,545 35 0.43
International Online Journal of Educational Sciences Sahin & Polatcan The Effect of Creative Writing Exercises in Turkish Classes on Students' Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis.  2019 Creativity writing exercises 25 2,090 25 1.20
Psychological Bulletin Sio & Lortie-Forgues The impact of creativity training on creative performance: A meta-analysis, review and critical evaluation of five decades of creativity training studies 2024 Creativity programs on creativity 169 18,486 844 0.53
TOTAL/AVERAGE 1,292 81,351 2,684 0.61
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