Dreams and fears in the process of creative thinking in children from areas affected by the armed conflict in Colombia

Abstract

The development of creativity and creative thinking in early school-age children is a strategy to foster future capabilities for innovation and change. It is also a strategy to instill resilience in these children, enabling them to face the challenges posed by the various environments that surround teaching and learning processes. This article analyzes the dreams and fears expressed by children from educational institutions located in municipalities affected by the armed conflict in Colombia, within the framework of a route designed to develop creativity and innovative thinking. A qualitative narrative analysis methodology was used to characterize and analyze the narratives of 68 co-creativity teams, involving 408 children. The results show that the narratives are influenced not only by the context in which the children live but also by the consequences of the armed conflict in the areas where the schools are located. The findings suggest that educational strategies like the one studied must incorporate elements that allow for adaptation to the context from the design stage, with a differential approach, to generate the expected positive effects in the territories where they are implemented.

Keywords

• Education
• Armed conflict
• Creativity
• Narrative analysis
• Children