Boredom and creativity in classrooms: A latent profile analysis

Background Contradictory results have emerged from empirical research into the relationship between boredom and creativity. Theories suggest that states of low arousal and positive valence promote creative processes. Studies have differentiated students' experiences of boredom based on valence and arousal as latent profiles. Aims We will examine whether latent profiles of boredom described in previous research can be found in a younger age group sample in a school context, and whether different latent boredom profiles vary in terms of their creativity value. Sample A total of 111 ninth-grade secondary school students participated. Each student received 18–19 signals (a sum of 2057 momentary assessments, 345 missing, total number of completed momentary assessments k = 1712). Methods We conducted an experience sampling study and analysed the assessed data (boredom, valence, arousal, creativity) using latent profile analyses. Results In line with previous research, we identified five profiles of boredom. According to our hypothesis, the identified boredom profiles differed in their mean creativity scores. In particular, the boredom profile characterized by slightly positive valence and low arousal showed the highest mean creativity score. In contrast, profiles characterized by strongly negative valence showed lower creativity scores. Moments that were not perceived as boring had a higher creativity value on average compared to moments perceived as boring. Conclusions Our findings help to clarify the controversy surrounding the relationship between boredom and creativity. We demonstrate that creativity varies considerably depending on the specific profile of boredom, and outline implications for research and practice.