COORDINATOR
Fabien Bitu is Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at the University of Rouen Normandy. His work focuses on two main aspects of the development of children.
A first area of research is focused on the effects of technologies in the development of children, unveiling the importance of the active engagement in the screen and the context of use of the screens.
A second area of research is focused on creativity in typical and atypical development of children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of bringing together cognitive and embodied aspects of creativity into a mixed approach, aiming at developing a better comprehension of this process in children, that can be explored through the use of technological tools. The research on creativity at school led him to actively participate in a European research group focused on the understanding of creativity and the ways to assess and improve it at school with typically and atypically developing children.
These two areas of research led him to coordinate several national and international projects and he was awarded in 2024 the Unicaen’s “Science with and for society” prize for his ongoing research.
The matter of creativity and innovation into the school system has gained momentum, such that the OECD considers today that creativity is a key skill for 2030 students. This position is supported by the PISA test of children’s creative thinking in European schools.
Yet, little is known about the contribution of creativity in growing adults, neither on how to assess or improve creativity in children, and more specifically in children with special educational needs. This symposium brings together 5 international studies covering these main issues. All these studies aim to provide evidence on the current state of essential aspects of cognitive creativity, starting from a literature/methodological review perspective.
The 1st presentation is a systematic review aiming at synthesis how creativity is assessed in primary school, comparing children with and without special educational needs, and using both traditional and technological tools.
The 2nd presentation is a methodological review focused on the actual standardized tests used in research to assess creativity in children. It aims at drawing a map of the existing standardized tests, taking into account their psychometric properties, measurement and evaluation criteria, instructions and types of tasks.
The 3rd presentation is a systematic review exploring the recent studies on the interventions proposed to develop children’s creativity in primary education, including children with and without special educational needs.
The 4th presentation is a systematic review on the specific aspects of creativity in children with special educational needs. It aims at unveiling the creative specificities of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, discussing the assessment and tools proposed for these children.
The 5th presentation is a systematic review covering the importance of studying creativity in a lifespan approach. This review aiming at unveiling the links between cognitive reserve and creativity in adults shows the usefulness of creativity for the future cognitive functioning in adults.