CREDMUS Project: Focus Group Data on Creativity from Six Catalan Universities
Description
This dataset contains the transcripts and anonymized records of six institutional focus groups conducted in the Catalan language within the CREDMUS project (Creativity in Music Teacher Education). The project investigated how creativity is conceptualized, fostered, and challenged in the preparation of future primary school teachers through music education at Catalan universities. The underlying research hypothesis was that, although creativity is widely recognized as an essential competence in teacher education, its implementation in higher education music programmes is shaped by diverse pedagogical beliefs, institutional conditions, and contextual constraints. To explore this, focus groups were organized with university lecturers in music education from six Catalan universities, representing public, private, and semi-private institutions. Each focus group discussed experiences, practices, and challenges related to creativity in teacher education. Discussions were guided by two project-developed glossaries addressing the complementary concepts of creative teaching and teaching for creativity. The data consist of verbatim transcripts and session records that can be used for qualitative thematic analysis, discourse analysis, or comparative institutional studies. The transcripts reveal recurring themes and pedagogical tensions concerning: (1) structure versus openness in teaching approaches; (2) prior musical knowledge versus exploratory learning; (3) safety versus risk-taking in creative processes; (4) disciplinarity versus interdisciplinarity; and (5) process-oriented versus outcome-oriented assessment. Notable findings include widespread recognition of the importance of supportive classroom climates, uncertainty management, and flexible pedagogical design, alongside structural barriers such as limited time, assessment pressures, and inconsistent curricular expectations. The data suggest that creativity in teacher education is less a fixed method than a negotiated and context-dependent pedagogical process. All personal identifiers have been removed to ensure confidentiality. The dataset may be used by researchers interested in creativity studies, music education, teacher education, higher education pedagogy, or qualitative comparative research. Knowledge of Catalan is required for direct analysis of the original transcripts, although automated translation tools may facilitate secondary use.
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Steps to reproduce
The data were generated through a qualitative multi-site research design carried out within the CREDMUS project (Creativity in Music Teacher Education). The study aimed to explore how creativity is understood and implemented in the training of future primary school teachers through music education across Catalan universities. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit participants with direct experience in music teacher education. University lecturers from six Catalan universities (public, private, and semi-private institutions) were invited to participate. A total of 25 lecturers took part in the study. Data collection was conducted through six institutional focus groups, one at each participating university. Each focus group consisted of three sequential discussion sessions, resulting in 18 sessions overall. This structure enabled participants to reflect progressively on key themes and to deepen discussion over time. Sessions were conducted in the Catalan language and facilitated by a moderator using a semi-structured discussion protocol. Two glossaries developed during the preliminary phase of the project were used as discussion prompts. These glossaries addressed two complementary dimensions of creativity: (1) creative teaching and (2) teaching for creativity. Rather than functioning as questionnaires, they served to stimulate reflection and dialogue around concepts, pedagogical practices, and institutional challenges. All sessions were audio-recorded with participants’ consent and subsequently transcribed verbatim. Personal identifiers were removed during transcription to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. Data analysis followed a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Transcripts were read repeatedly for familiarization, then coded inductively and deductively to identify meaningful patterns related to participants’ beliefs, experiences, and practices. Coding and data management were supported using ATLAS.ti software. Through iterative comparison, memo writing, and collaborative discussion among the research team, broader interpretive themes were developed and later conceptualized as pedagogical tensions shaping creativity in music teacher education. Researchers seeking to reproduce the study could follow a similar workflow: recruit lecturers involved in teacher education, organize institutional focus groups using prompts on creative teaching and teaching for creativity, record and transcribe discussions, and conduct reflexive thematic analysis supported by qualitative data analysis software.
Institutions
- Universitat de GironaCatalonia, Girona