ABSTRACT
Regarding higher education, criticisms were made by Paulovich in the United States, Tolliver in Canada, Cropley in Germany, and Castanho and Rosas in Brazil because of the limited or lack of incentive for creativity. At the higher education level, in a study on students' perceptions regarding the extent to which the expression of creativity was encouraged by their teachers, Alencar observed conditions that reflected low incentive for the development of the students' creative abilities. Female students evaluated their professors more favorably in the factors Incentive to New Ideas and Interest for Students' Learning, comparing to male students. Differences among private and public university students' perceptions of their professors' practices were also observed in the factors Incentive to New Ideas and Evaluation and Teaching Methodology, with the private university students' perceptions more favorable. The Teaching Practices Inventory constitutes a useful instrument for research and diagnostic of teaching behaviors that promote the development and expression of higher education students’ creative abilities.
