Background: We look at creativity from a pedagogical point of view by applying phenomenography (Marton & Booth, 1997) and the Theory of Variation (Marton, Runesson & Tsui, 2004; Runesson & Marton, 2002). In this study, we explore how the Theory of Variation can be put into practice to inform teachers in handling the teaching of writing in a creative way which may enhance a generic capability, creativity, in students’ learning of Chinese writing. This is especially helpful to teachers as studies (Schacter, Thum, & Zifkin, 2006; Cheung, 2005; Aljughaiman & Nowrer-Reynolds, 2005; Fryer & Collings, 1991) expressed the disparity between teachers’ reported support for creativity enrichment and virtual lack of related classroom practice.

Research Plan: This study adopted Learning Study (Marton, 2001; Marton & Tsui, 2004) as the research method which refers to a hybrid form of the Japanese lesson study (Lewis & Tsuchida, 1998; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999) and a design experiment (Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992). It serves as a vehicle for improving teaching and learning of the teacher and student participants in this study.

The intervention study was designed to develop potentials in lessons for learning creativity in Chinese writing by using the Theory of Variation and the Learning Study. In this way teachers may be sensitized to the variation in the objects of learning as experienced by themselves and their students, as well as to how variation can be utilized as a pedagogical tool to promote learning in the form of discerning the critical features of the objects of learning.

Aim: This project aims to enhance student creativity in Chinese writing by means of Learning Study and explore the relationship between the learning outcomes of students and the pattern of variation and invariance inherent in the sequence of lessons.

Research questions:

How can the creative aspects of Chinese writing be enhanced in the Learning Study?

What are the ways participating teachers handle the lessons to foster students’ creativity?

What is the effectiveness of learning studies in enhancing creativity in Chinese writing?

Method: The study involved four classes of P.3 students in a primary school in Hong Kong where the four teachers and 65 male and 72 female students were recruited as our participants. Teacher 1, 2, 3, and 4 discerned the capability of writing creatively in lesson planning and then taught their lessons in 3 A, B, C, and D using the creative writing strategies developed in the Learning Study respectively. All major Learning Study artifacts, including lesson plans, videotaped lessons and observation field notes were collected. All sources of data collected from the learning studies were carefully analysed using the conceptual framework of variation to draw insights and to address our research concerns. The pre-test, mid-test, and post-study measurements of students’ performance in writing using the Chinese Creative Writing Scale (CCWS; Cheung, Tse & Tsang, 2001) and the Williams Scale (Williams, 1993) were assessed by the group x time effect of repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni corrections.

Results: Though all four classes in the target group used the same lesson plan and the intended objects of learning were the same, it appeared that Class A outperformed Class D significantly in the pre-, mid- and post-tests as shown in the Chinese Creative Writing Scale (CCWS; Cheung, Tse & Tsang, 2001) and the Williams Scale (Williams, 1993). The overall effect was significant in all sub-scores and the total score in CCWS: fluency (F = 6.85, df = (2,60), p = 0.002); flexibility (F = 3.30, df = (2,60), p = 0.044); originality (F = 13.08, df = (2,60), p = 0.000); and the total score (F = 7.99, df = (2,60), p = 0.001). In the outcome measures of the CCWS, Class A showed significantly more improvement than Class D on fluency and total score between pre- and mid-evaluations and between pre- and post-evaluations. As to originality, improvement of Class A outstripped Class D between pre- and post-evaluations and between mid- and post-evaluations.

Discussion: There is a serendipity finding that the enacted object of learning differed between different classes even though they all derived from the same intended object of learning. The results varied between Class A and D because there was difference in the enacted object of learning. Student learning and pattern of variation and invariance were compared between these two groups to illuminate their relationship. The gains and the absence of gains could then be related to what had happened in the classroom, especially as the enacted and the lived objects of learning which are described in commensurable terms such as variation and invariance (Marton and Pang, 2006). We tried to use the Variation Theory as the framework to make sense of the relationship between what was happening in different classrooms and what the students gained from participating in the classroom events. Variation in the enacted object of learning which meant how different teachers realized the same lesson plan could then be related to differences between classes in the outcome. This referred to the lived object of learning which increased the variation in the enacted object of learning. We argued that how the object of learning is handled, structured and presented in different classes in terms of different patterns of variation to generate many, different, and original ideas in Chinese writing is a necessary condition for enhancing creative elements in compositions. In terms of the structure of the lessons, teacher structured the lessons of Class A in a hierarchical manner whereas Class D was structured in a sequential manner. According to the degree of simultaneity, there was a high degree of simultaneity in Class A whereas Class D experienced one thing at a time. By exploring how different ways of handling the object of learning in the lessons affected the students’ learning outcomes, we have a clearer picture of the enhancement of creativity in the writing lessons.