Advantages and challenges of the open-ended approach in nurturing creativity

Deeper study of the ability of the open-ended approach to enhance creativity in various fields is necessary in order to encourage its implementation a variety of subjects. Through a systematic literature review, this paper aims to describe the nature of the open-ended approach and discuss the advantages and challenges that may be encountered in its implementation. The open-ended learning discussed is related to all educational fields of study and may allow its use in the context of a more comprehensive integrative learning process. The advantages of an open-ended approach are related to student activity, including opportunities for the students to gain information, and the celebration of students' uniqueness and empowerment. Meanwhile the challenges are related to learning designs, teacher's control and the assessment of students. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.