The effect of parental support on student self-rated and task-based creativity: The mediating role of creative interest and self-efficacy

Abstract

Creativity has been regarded as a desirable advanced skill for students in the 21st century due to its crucial role in promoting student academic, social, and psychological development. However, how family environment, especially parental support, may affect student creativity and the mechanisms underlying the effects have not been sufficiently explored. The present study aims to investigate the effects of parental support on student creative performance through the mediating role of creative motivation (i.e., creative interest, creative self-efficacy) among Chinese fifth graders at 11–12 years old (N= 497). A multimethod approach was used to measure creativity in this study, which included self-rated creativity and task-based creativity. The results indicated that parental support did not exert significant and direct effect on student creativity, but it exerted significantly positive and indirect influences via the mediating role of creative self-efficacy (for task-based creativity) or creative interest and self-efficacy (for self-rated creativity). Results are discussed in terms of the implications for parents and educators to better support the cultivation of student creativity.