Reciprocal Relations Between Autonomous Motivation and Creativity: A Longitudinal Investigation of Chinese Children and Adolescents

Research has identified the positive role of autonomous motivation in creativity. However, very few studies have sought to examine the effect of creativity on autonomous motivation or reciprocal relationships. This study attempted to explore the reciprocal associations between autonomous motivation and creativity assessed in terms of ideational fluency, flexibility, and originality. In total, 1,186 students in grades 4, 7, and 10 from three elementary schools, two junior high schools, and two senior high schools participated at two time points one year apart. The results supported a developmental perspective. Specifically, for students in Grade 4, only autonomous motivation predicted flexibility and showed a unidirectional effect. For students in grades 7 and 10, autonomous motivation and creativity were reciprocally related and showed a reciprocal effect; however, the reciprocal model occurred only in originality. These findings suggest that autonomous motivation and creativity mutually reinforce one another and this relationship differs across age groups and facets of creativity.