The Qualitative Meta-Analysis of Environmental Characteristics Affecting Children s Creativity in Schools and Academies

Creativity is currently among the hot topics in child development and education, which is also of utmost importance in psychological studies and environmental design. Previous research has thus far highlighted the effects of the surrounding environment on creativity development in this age group. Since an individual s personality is formed in childhood, researchers working on creativity have further focused on this stage of life. Therefore, this study was to reflect on the relationship between creativity and educational environments for children aged 2-10, and identify and explain the environmental components shaping creativity, utilizing the attitude of recognizing physical and mental dimensions in children and meeting their needs as users. Employing the exploratory research method and qualitative content analysis, the main variables contributing to the relationship between the environment and children s creativity were delineated, and there were attempts to recapitulate this relationship via logical reasoning. This study was a qualitative meta-analysis because an analytical approach, based on the theories presented in previous research, was adopted. The study results revealed that the architectural environment could foster children s creativity. In addition, a suitable platform would be provided for children to flourish and strengthen their creativity if the educational environments were designed with the aim to comply with the principles of child psychology.