Creative Self-Efficacy and Its Relationship to Mental Motivation Among Outstanding Students at King Saud University

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the relationship between creative self-efficacy and mental motivation, and the ability of the dimensions of creative self-efficacy to predict mental motivation. It also explored any significant differences between both creative self-efficacy and mental motivation according to gender, academic major or the interaction between these variables among the sample of the study.  To achieve this, the descriptive correlational method was used. The sample consisted of (250) students (109 males and 141 females). The following tools were administered: Creative Self-Efficacy Scale and California Measure of Mental Motivation which was translated by the researchers. The results of the study showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between self-efficacy, mental motivation and their dimensions. The results also indicated that mental motivation can be predicted by the two dimensions of creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, the results indicated that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of creative self-efficacy and mental motivation attributed to gender, academic major, or their interaction among the study sample. The study concluded with a number of recommendations, including developing school curriculum which incorporate some aspects that promote both critical thinking and creative performance; creating training programs which develop the level of self-esteem, self-confidence and problem-solving skills among the academically outstanding students, and which promote “mental focus” that is one of the mental motivation dimensions; and conducting further studies that investigate the difference between creative self-efficacy and mental motivation according to gender and academic major.