FORMATION OF STUDENTS' CREATIVITY POTENTIAL IN INTELLECTUAL SCHOOLS

The educational system in general and teaching approaches in particular in Kazakhstani schools is shifting from traditional approach to student-centered approach. Although there are a few research studies conducted in the Kazakhstani context on different aspects of education, there is not any research found on the impact of the educational program or school curriculum on the creativity level of students in Kazakhstan. Thus, the main purpose of this research was to study the influences of educational program of the research site on improvement of the creativity potential of students in one of the experimental schools in Kazakhstan. The qualitative research was conducted within the research instruments such as semi-structured interviews, document analysis and classroom observations. The participants were 12 students of grades 7-12 and 12 teachers of various subjects. The research findings revealed that the structure of the school curriculum is effective for improving students' creativity skills. However, implementation of more flexibility is recommended for developing the students' creativity in a more effective way. Thus, the findings of the research suggest some recommendations for both curriculum developers and school administration to take into consideration the students' and teachers' voices for advancing the sections of school curriculum focused on creativity improvement. The study also makes recommendations for further studies on improving the creative thinking skills in secondary school context with a larger sample, using mixed-methods research design.