Relationship of Cooperative or Competitive University Climate with the Positive Creativity in Russian Students

Creativity is one of the key competences that educational organizations should foster in their students. Considering the valence of creative ideas and their consequences, this study examines the relationship between cooperation and competition as aspects of university climate with students’ positive creativity. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 341 Russian students (54.8% - females) using PISA’s measurement of cooperation and competition and the task from “Test of realistic problem situations,” adapted to measure positive creativity in a university context. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between cooperative climate and positive creativity, whereas a competitive climate contributes to students’ positive creativity. The discussion explores consequences of the cooperative and competitive climates in a broader perspective as well as the specific characteristics of everyday positive creativity in a social domain. Overall, the study suggests that competitive climate can lead to more pronounced positive social creativity, probably as a defensive strategy.