The Structural Relationships between Optimism and Innovative Behavior: Understanding Potential Antecedents and Mediating Effects

Abstract

Research on creative education in Taiwan is at a turning point after entering a new millennium. Developing positive attitudes and creative thinking has become increasingly essential for boosting college students` competitiveness in this fast-paced and changing world. There is a current need to extend knowledge on the association between optimistic attitudes and innovative behaviors. This study explored structural relationships between college students` optimism, creative self-efficacy, and innovative behavior in terms of hypothesized antecedents of optimism (cognitive reappraisal, promotion, and prevention) and the mediating role of creative self-efficacy via a structural equation modeling framework. The 970 participants were undergraduate students from public and private universities in Taiwan. Results indicated that (a) confirmatory factor analyses supported the evidence of construct-related validity of instruments administered in the study; (b) cognitive reappraisal and promotion had positive effects on optimism, but prevention had a negative effect; and (c) creative self-efficacy significantly and partially mediated the relationship between optimism and innovative behavior.