Características de la enseñanza favorable para la creatividad en una muestra de los docentes universitarios

Introduction: Considering the great relevance of creativity to the profile of the 21st century professional, it is of the utmost importance to approach the study of teaching practices of teachers at the university level and to analyze the place of creative capacity building in them. Method: Quantitative study, descriptive level, non-experimental method, involving 298 teachers from Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Ecuador. A questionnaire of teaching practices, designed ad hoc for the present study, was used to assess the use of cognitive and emotional-motivational mediation strategies, methodological flexibility and evaluation. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded 4 factors whose explained variance was 74 %, and α = . 86, indicated an adequate internal consistency of the scale. Results: The results indicate the need for improvement in the methodological aspects related to the promotion of creativity from teaching practices in the sample teachers, especially in the use of emotional-motivational mediation strategies. Teaching experience emerged as a variable associated with greater favorability towards creativity in teachers, as well as greater methodological and evaluative flexibility at the master’s and doctoral levels. The female gender was associated with greater attention to emotional and motivational aspects related to creativity. Differences between countries were evident, suggesting the importance of improvements in the subject in Colombian higher education institutions. Conclusions: It is evident the relevance of deepening and advancing towards a consensus in the definition of creativity and its operationalization in educational environments, in order to achieve a process of adequate training and preparation of teachers in the pedagogical and methodological issue related to their promotion from teaching practices. Introducción: considerando la gran relevancia de la creatividad para el perfil del profesional del siglo xxi, es de suma importancia aproximarse al estudio de las prácticas de enseñanza de los docentes universitarios y analizar el lugar que ocupa el fomento de la capacidad creativa en estas. Método: este estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, de método no experimental, contó con la participación de 298 docentes de Colombia, Cuba, México y Ecuador. Se empleó un cuestionario de las prácticas de enseñanza, diseñado ad hoc, orientado a valorar el uso de estrategias de mediación cognitiva y emocional-motivacional, flexibilidad metodológica y evaluación.