Exploring the Facilitative Factors and Activities Behind Primary School EFL Students' Curiosity and Creativity

ABSTRACT Research has widely underscored the role and importance of students' inner variables in their learning process and academic outcomes. Two significant but less attended to constructs pertaining to primary school students are their senses of curiosity and creativity. There may be several driving forces triggering these factors among young English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. However, there is insufficient research on facilitative factors and specific activities that may foster the creation and maintenance of students' curiosity and creativity in primary school contexts. To fill the gap, drawing on a positive psychology (PP) perspective, this qualitative research invited 20 primary school EFL students, at K4–K6 levels, to an interview focusing on their perceptions. The findings of the thematic analysis demonstrated that different factors related to learners, teachers, materials, and context influenced the students' curiosity and creativity. The themes are discussed, and implications for EFL teachers, students, teacher educators, and policymakers are provided to encourage them to seek a pedagogy that cultivates creativity and curiosity. Insights for expanding theories related to learner psychology are also presented.