The Impact of Creative Educational Climate on the Choreography of Fundamental Movement Sequences

Abstract Since creativity is considered a key competence in the 21st century, its development deserves special attention in education. Research has shown that the key to fostering creativity lies in the manner in which the teacher creates a classroom environment that encourages it, and the teaching methods employed to deliver the curriculum. Skills related to creativity develop best when student-centered teaching methods are applied. The objective of the present study is to examine the impact of a creative atmosphere and the integration of student-centered approaches on the creativity of university students enrolled in a music-based fundamental movement course. Altogether, 34 university students participated in the elective, music-based fundamental movement course, which was based on Rudolf Laban’s movement analysis system. The course lasted 13 weeks, with one 90-minute session per week. The teaching methodology was student-centered. The level of creativity was assessed using the Tóth Creativivty Assessment Scale (Tóth & Király, 2006). The creative learning process was evaluated through fundamental movement sequence (Mikó et al., 2024). Creative climate was surveyed using the School Creative Climate Questionnaire (Péter-Szarka et al., 2015). By the end of the course, significant changes were observed in the complexity ( p < 0.001), thinking ( p = 0.023), dominance ( p = 0.013), and self-actualization ( p = 0.006) sub-factors. Furthermore, by the end of the course participants had assembled significantly more varied ( p = 0.022) choreography of fundamental movement. The results of the creative climate questionnaire demonstrate the group’s considerable influence in shaping the prevailing climate. In conclusion, our study reveals that even a 13-week course can induce positive changes in creativity.