Upcoming Unlocking Creativity: Exploring the Impact of Design Thinking on Creative Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Creative thinking has become an essential skill for students to navigate the digitally driven and competitive professional landscape in recent years. Employing a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental research design, this study reports on an intervention using design thinking as a creative thinking training program for undergraduate students. Quantitative results showed significant increases in creative self-efficacy (p = .001, d = .86) and use of creative cognition (p = .002, d = .79) following the intervention. Qualitative analysis of student reflections provided insights into the mechanisms of these changes, suggesting that design thinking training helped students 1) reimagine creativity as a skill set rather than a trait 2) act creatively without defining themselves as inherently creative and 3) not necessarily become a more creative person but more equipped with a problem-solving toolkit. The findings are discussed through the lens of social cognitive theory and used to advance implications for creative learning pedagogy to be integrated in higher education.