Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

Fall 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

College of Education

First Advisor

Jason Goulah

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explores how a team of theater teaching artists describes and assesses the formative creative skills and dispositions of students participating in an after-school theater arts program, and it explores how repertory grid methods may support curricular, instructional, assessment, and feedback practices within such programs. Rooted in personal construct theory and curriculum studies, this research investigates how creative development—often viewed as elusive—is revealed through educators’ language, perceptions, and evaluative choices.   Using repertory grid interviewing and statistical rating protocols, the study identifies how participating teaching artists articulate the “language of learning” related to creative performance, uncovering 68 formative creative skills and dispositions. The study reveals how these constructs cluster, suggesting relational categories that can inform curriculum design focused on both technical and artistic aspects of creative development. Instructionally, the findings highlight the importance of relational environments, iterative revision processes, and collaborative teaching approaches in fostering creativity.   In terms of assessment, repertory grid methods helped illuminate each teaching artist’s subjective lens, providing insights into individual and shared values and how those shape evaluative judgments. Furthermore, the findings stress the necessity of distinguishing between objective and subjective assessment when supporting the development of both technical and artistic creative capacities. Feedback practices also emerged as nuanced, shaped by trust, student sensitivity, and the type of creative skill being addressed. The study found that repertory grid methods can increase educator self-awareness and foster collaborative dialogue, both of which are essential to balanced and equitable feedback.   Ultimately, this study positions repertory grid methodology as a powerful tool for educational practitioners seeking to describe, assess, and support the formative creative development of students. It calls for future research into the application of these methods across other K–12 academic disciplines, advocating for a more explicit and strategic commitment to nurturing creativity within curriculum studies—particularly in a rapidly changing, AI-driven world where human creativity is a critical differentiator.

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