Predicting creativity in a moderated-mediation situation

Intelligence and creativity among school-going students are buzzwords. The exponential growth of studies has spurred on the influence of intelligence on creativity; however, the center of the debate is on the effect of the former on the latter. Surprisingly, very few studies have attempted to investigate the confounding effect which connects intelligence with creativity. Based on the notions of multi-theory, this study explores the impact of intelligence on creativity through the mechanism of a mediator and a moderator. The present study collected 307 cross-sectional data using the convenience sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using partial least square based structural equation modeling with the deduction reasoning method. The results reveal that students’ efficacious belief mediates the influence of intelligence on creativity; however, the moderating effect of creative identity is not demonstrated justified. Practical implications and directions for future research are presented in the final section.