How does a creative learning environment foster student creativity? An examination on multiple explanatory mechanisms

Scholars and educators have acknowledged the importance of the learning environment, especially the creative learning environment, on student creativity. However, the current understanding is far from complete to paint a clear picture of how a creative learning environment can stimulate students’ creative outcomes in the classroom. Drawing on Amabile’s componential theory of creativity, the present research aims to test how a creative learning environment can foster undergraduate creativity through three distinct mechanisms (i.e., learning goal orientation, network ties, and knowledge sharing). A total of 431 students and their teachers from a Chinese university completed questionnaires. The results generally supported the theoretical model in which a creative learning environment is significantly associated with student creativity by enhancing students’ learning goal orientation, network ties, and knowledge sharing. Implications for theory and educational practice, limitations of the present study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.