Investigating Teacher Margin and Creativity in Michigan

Teacher creativity is essential to developing and delivering innovative learning opportunities, including hands-on experiences which are at the heart of school-based agricultural education (SBAE). A teacher’s ability to develop and deliver innovative learning experiences may, however, be influenced by their margin. Teacher margin is defined as the difference between what a teacher has the capacity to do (i.e., power) and what they are tasked with doing (i.e., load) in their personal and professional roles. The potential relationship between creativity and margin is particularly salient in SBAE as consistent research has found agricultural educators experience a burdensome workload and reduced margin. As such, the current study employed a survey methodology to explore teacher creativity, margin, and the relationship between the two variables. Results from the study indicate agriculture teachers in [State] perceived low levels of margin, indicating their required workload is near or exceeding their capabilities. Data also revealed agriculture teachers in [State] perceive moderate levels of creativity. Furthermore, no statistically significant relationship was identified between margin and creativity. These findings suggest teachers maintain stable levels of creativity regardless of differences in margin. Findings are discussed using the Theory of Margin with recommendations for research and practice explored.