THE EFFECTS OF PERCEIVED SUPPORT FOR CREATIVITY ON INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY OF DESIGN-MAJORED STUDENTS: A MULTIPLE-MEDIATION MODEL OF SAVORING

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics + Art/Design) education is presented to broaden interest in STEM fields, enhance the creativity of STEM students, and spur innovation. Although studies have explored the environment factors that influence individual creativity, few researches have investigated the role of students' savoring which might drive the demand-pull innovation in creativity cultivation. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effects of perceived support for creativity and the multiple mediation of savoring capacity on individual creativity in the context of undergraduate Design education. The instruments were administered to 851 Design-majored students in Taiwan. The collected data were tested against the research model using a path analysis-based procedure of multiple-mediators analysis. Research findings include: (1) Both students' perceived support for creativity and their ability to savor (through anticipation, enjoying the moment, and reminiscence) have significant positive effects on their individual creativity; (2) Among the three methods of savoring, savoring the moment alone has significant positive effects on individual creativity; (3) Students' perceived support for creativity mediated by their ability to savor the moment has significant positive effects on their individual creativity. The findings provide several important theoretical and practical implications regarding fostering students' creativity in the context of STEAM education.