Activation of Community Television and its Influence on Students’ Creative Thinking Level

The goal of the research was to examine whether a relation exists between studentsʹ experience in community television and changes in their creative thinking ability. Community television is a tool that enables the expression of wishes, opinions, ideas, thoughts, experiences and skills via community television broadcasts. Learning in community television affords experience with different types of activities. Each role requires different skills and characteristics. In the present research we used job analysis to characterize the different experiences within the framework of community television. Job analysis is a technique for presenting detailed information on activities carried out within the framework of the job. The job analysis used in this research is based on a list of abilities, traits, skills and fields of knowledge from which the person suitable for the role should be chosen. The influence of studentsʹ experience in community television on their creative thinking level was examined, as well as whether different experiences in community television have a different effect on the studentsʹ creative thinking. The research population included 157 subjects who underwent a set of tests for evaluating their creative tendency (curiosity, originality, and general creativity score). All subjects experienced the production of a movie, while learning the secrets of television production and experiencing production roles according to their personal choice (director, editor, photographer, actor). The choice of experience was made according to each studentʹs personal choice, with the aim of enabling the expression via multiple intelligences. The tendency to creativity was measured using a tendency to creativity questionnaire [1]. After the learning and the process of producing the movie, the subjects took the same set of tests in order to examine the change that took place following this process. They were also interviewed in order to discover their opinions and feelings regarding the process they underwent. Analysis of the tests and the interviews indicates that students who experienced community television production roles improved their creative tendency level in all experience roles: director, editor, photographer and actor. An open experience system that integrates different levels of experience and active learning, autonomous learning and affords expression for multiple experiences with the aim of creating a common project in which all contribute their share towards the final product can develop the tendency for creativity among students.