Generativity:
Generativity is a psychosocial construct characterized by the desire to impact the next generation by making an enduring creative and productive contribution to society.
Our goal is to better understand the lived experience of generativity across industries and age groups with a specific focus in how generativity is formed, how it functions in society, and how individuals make meaning of their generative experiences.
Why does generativity matter?
Individual Flourishing
Generativity is considered the actualization of human potential and the essence of creative and productive living. It is specifically linked to elevated life satisfaction, as well as heightened emotional intelligence and inquisitiveness.
Institutional Flourishing
Generativity is associated with increased workplace well-being and holds particular significance for today’s workforce as burnout rates surge across industries. Generativity also promotes the creative and productive action critical for organizational health and sustainability.
Societal Flourishing
Increasing generativity within individuals, institutions, and communities moves us toward a more generative society over time which promises a more creative and productive future of innovation, collaboration, and impact.
Study Spotlight:
An Exploration of the Lived Experience of Generative Emerging Educators
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This study invited participation from individuals who met a select set of criteria specific to generative emerging adult educators:
Age 18 - 29
Completed at least one year of teaching in the K–12 system and currently employed as a full-time teacher within a public, charter, or private school at the time of interview.
Scored as “highly generative” on Morselli and Passini’s (2015) Social Generativity Scale (SGS).
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Primary Research Question: What is the lived experience of generativity among generative emerging educators?
Sub-question One: What contributes to generativity formation among generative emerging educators?
Sub-question Two: How do generative emerging educators experience generativity?
Sub-question Three: How do generative emerging educators make meaning of their generative experience?
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Phenomenological inquiry was used to explore the essence of the lived experience of generativity.
Seidman’s (2019) three interview series was used to gather data. Within this structure, the generative emerging educators had the opportunity to remember their generativity formation in interview one, reconstruct their active generative experiences in interview two, and reflect on what their generativity means to them in interview three.
Colaizzi’s (1978) method for data analysis was used to arrive at a comprehensive fundamental structure of the phenomenon.
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Formation: This study found that generative emerging educators form generativity through the presence of intergenerational inspiration, the opportunity for early initiative, and the experience of a creative awakening. These encounters foster an early awareness of their original design and an early affinity for a life of meaning.
Function: From this foundation, generative emerging educators contribute to their educational spaces through the acts of relational equipping and empathetic engagement.
Meaning-making: Generative emerging educators make meaning of their ordinary but profound generative experiences through the practices of contribution mapping and impact forecasting. Contribution mapping involves the generative emerging educator anchoring their present-day contributions back to their origin story using a reflective or restorative lens. Alternatively, impact forecasting involves the generative emerging educator using their imagination to conceptualize potential positive implications that may result from their present-day contributions. The functional acts of generativity and the meaning-making process practiced by generative emerging educators occur in a dynamic ongoing exchange.
Contribute to Future Research
Complete the form below if you are interested in being contacted for possible interview as part of our on-going generativity research.