Enhancing student creativity in Chinese universities: The role of teachers’ spiritual leadership and the mediating effects of positive psychological capital and sense of self-esteem

Creativity is considered a key competency in contemporary society and is crucial for college students’ personal growth and future career development. There are many internal and external factors affecting college students’ creativity, among which teacher leadership, an external factor, is substantial. In light of this, this study introduces a new, more detailed theoretical framework that considers the mechanism of influence of teachers’ spiritual leadership on college students’ creativity. Moreover, among the intrinsic influences on college students’ creativity, psychological resources are particularly important; thus, this study selected two variables, positive psychological capital and sense of self-respect, to explore their dual mediating effects in the relationship between spiritual leadership and college students’ creativity. With 697 Chinese college students as the research object, this study collected relevant data through a questionnaire-based survey and statistically analyzed it using SPSS and AMOS. The results show that college teachers’ spiritual leadership has a positive effect on college students’ creativity, and positive psychological capital and sense of self-respect mediate this relationship. Complementing the currently insufficient literature on the factors influencing the development of college students’ creativity, this study provides a perspective that allows for a deeper understanding of the formation process of college students' creativity by exploring the interrelatedness of several factors and elucidating the influence mechanism between them. The results can help optimize programs and strategies to improve college students’ creativity. Specifically, they suggest that by cultivating and enhancing college teachers’ spiritual leadership, educational institutions and organizations can promote the development of college students’ creativity and provide support for students’ comprehensive quality improvement. Simultaneously, paying attention to the establishment of college students’ psychological resources can enhance the level of college students’ creativity.