Creativity in Science Education: Perspectives From Chinese Secondary School Students

Purpose Developing students’ scientific creativity is a key objective in science education. This study aims to explore Chinese secondary school students’ perspectives on scientific creativity. Design/Approach/Method This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 18 students from a Chinese upper secondary school, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The findings indicated that many students perceived themselves as moderately creative in science learning, with robust fundamental knowledge being the most important contributing factor. They identified inquiry-based learning, science experiments, project-based activities, and Olympiad subject competition courses as creative processes, yet noted that greater teacher involvement or prescribed procedures might constrain them. Creative ideas were defined by ‘difference’ and ‘integration and transformation’, with limited knowledge and time constraining students’ ability to generate such ideas. Finally, students regarded cooperative learning with peer discussion as essential for fostering a creative environment, while study burden and examination pressure were seen as major barriers to creativity. These findings thus reveal a tension between students’ perceptions of scientific creativity and the structural constraints of a high-stakes testing context. Originality/Value This study provides valuable, student-centred insights into scientific creativity and offers practical strategies for nurturing creativity in science education in China and other similar contexts.