Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based training program to improve creative self-efficacy among a sample of secondary school students
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2025.17474Abstract
To motivating creativity among students, creative self-efficacy is one of the most important indicators, as it refers to individuals’ beliefs about their creative abilities, their motivation towards creativity, and possession of the necessary knowledge for creativity. The main objective of this study is to identify the effectiveness of a training program based on mindfulness, in improving creative self-efficacy. 30 eighth grade students, experimental and control groups included 15 students. The training program experimental group received a training program of 13 sessions, while the control group was not included. Assessment using the creative self-efficacy scale showed that the experimental group students scored higher on the creative self-efficacy table and its subscales than the students in the control group, and showed a positive effect of the mindfulness-based training program in improving creative self-efficacy among a group of secondary school students.
Keywords:
creative self-efficacy, mindfulness, secondary school, self-efficacy, training programHow to Cite
Share
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Abbott, D. H. (2010). Constructing a creative self-efficacy inventory: A mixed methods inquiry [PhD/Doctoral Thesis, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/305217740
Baas, M., Nevicka, B., & Ten Velden, F. S. (2014). Specific mindfulness skills differentially predict creative performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(9), 1092–1106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214535813
Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125–143. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy/bpg015
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13(1), 27–45 https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191105283504
Baird, B., Smallwood, J., Mrazek, M. D., Kam, J. W. Y., Franklin, M. S., & Schooler, J. W. (2012). Inspired by distraction: Mind wandering facilitates creative incubation. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1117–1122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612446024
Bamber, M. D., & Kraenzle Schneider, J. (2016). Mindfulness-based meditation to decrease stress and anxiety in college students: A narrative synthesis of the research. Educational Research Review, 18, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.12.004
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Correlates of intellectual risk taking in elementary school science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(2), 210–223. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20270
Beghetto, R. A. (2006). Creative self-efficacy: Correlates in middle and secondary students. Creativity Research Journal, 18(4), 447–457. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1804_4
Beghetto, R. A., Kaufman, J. C., & Baxter, J. (2011). Answering the unexpected questions: Exploring the relationship between students’ creative self-efficacy and teacher ratings of creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5(4), 342–349. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022834
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, Sh., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., Segal, Z. V., Abbey, S., Speca, M., Velting, D., & Devins, G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bph077
Bott, N., Quintin, E.-M., Saggar, M., Kienitz, E., Royalty, A., Hong, D. W.-Ch., Liu, N., Chien, Y., Hawthorne, G., & Reiss, A. L. (2014). Creativity training enhances goal-directed attention and information processing. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 13, 120–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2014.03.005
Brausch, B. D. (2011). The role of mindfulness in academic stress, self-efficacy, and achievement in college students [Master Thesis, Eastern Illinois University, United States]. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1146&context=theses
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Perils and promise in defining and measuring mindfulness: Observations from experience. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 242–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bph078
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory, 18(4), 211–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701598298
Buss, A. H. (1980). Books in psychology. Self-consciousness and social anxiety. J. Freedman, G. Lindzey, & R. F. Thompson (Series Eds.). W. H. Freeman and Company.
Byrge, Ch., & Tang, Ch. (2015). Embodied creativity training: Effects on creative self-efficacy and creative production. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 16, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2015.01.002
Carson, Sh. H., Peterson, J. B., & Higgins, D. M. (2005). Reliability, validity, and factor structure of the creative achievement questionnaire. Creativity Research Journal, 17(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1701_4
Carver, Ch. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1981). Springer series in social psychology. Attention and self-regulation: A control-theory approach to human behavior. Springer-Verlag.
Carver, Ch. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On the self-regulation of behavior. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139174794
Cheng, Ch.-J., Shiu, Sh.-Ch., & Chuang, Ch.-F. (2012). The relationship of college students’ process of study and creativity: Creative self-efficacy as a mediation. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, 2(3), 105–109.
Colzato, L. S., Ozturk, A., & Hommel, B. (2012). Meditate to create: The impact of focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00116
Dalrymple, K. L., & Herbert, J. D. (2007). Acceptance and commitment therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder: A pilot study. Behavior Modification, 31(5), 543–568. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445507302037
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). Perspectives in social psychology. Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. E. Aronson (Series Ed.). Plenum Press.
Ding, X., Tang, Y.-Y., Tang, R., & Posner, M. I. (2014). Improving creativity performance by short-term meditation. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-10-9
Dundas, I., Thorsheim, T., Hjeltnes, A., & Binder, P. E. (2016). Mindfulness based stress reduction for academic evaluation anxiety: A naturalistic longitudinal study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 30(2), 114–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2016.1140988
Duval, Sh., & Wicklund, R. A. (1972). Social psychology. A theory of objective self awareness. L. Festinger & S. Schachter (Series Eds.). Academic Press.
Firth, A. M., Cavallini, I., Sütterlin, S., & Lugo, R. G. (2019). Mindfulness and self-efficacy in pain perception, stress and academic performance: The influence of mindfulness on cognitive process. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 12, 565–574. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S206666
Ford, C. M. (1996). A theory of individual creative action in multiple social domains. The Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1112–1142. https://doi.org/10.2307/259166
Franco, C., Mañas, I., Cangas, A. J., & Gallego, J. (2010). The applications of mindfulness with students of secondary school: Results on the academic performance, self-concept and anxiety. In M. D. Lytras, P. Ordonez de Pablos, A. Ziderman, A. Roulstone, H. Maurer, & J. B. Imber (Eds.), Communications in Computer and Information Science. Knowledge Management, Information Systems, E-Learning, and Sustainability Research: Third World Summit on the Knowledge Society, WSKS 2010. Corfu, Greece, September 2010. Proceedings, Part 1 (Vol. 111, pp. 83–97). Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16318-0_10
Ghorbannejad, A., Mohammadi pour, M., & Soleimanian, A. A. (2017). The effectiveness of mindfulness training method on male students’ self-efficacy and intelligence beliefs. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology, 1(4). https://qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/view/676/676
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta Trade.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hyperion.
Karpova, E., Marcketti, S. B., & Barker, J. (2011). The efficacy of teaching creativity: Assessment of student creative thinking before and after exercises. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 29(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X11400065
Kienitz, E., Quintin, E.-M., Saggar, M., Bott, N. T., Royalty, A., Hong, D. W.-Ch., Liu, N., Chien, Y., Hawthorne, G., & Reiss, A. L. (2014). Targeted intervention to increase creative capacity and performance: A randomized controlled pilot study. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 13, 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2014.03.002
Lee, I. R., & Kemple, K. (2014). Preservice teachers’ personality traits and engagement in creative activities as predictors of their support for children’s creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 26(1), 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2014.873668
Lim, H. S., & Choi, J. N. (2009). Testing an alternative relationship between individual and contextual predictors of creative performance. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 37(1), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2009.37.1.117
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive–behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. The Guilford Press.
Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training: Manual. The Guilford Press.
Ma, H.-H. (2006). A Synthetic analysis of the effectiveness of single components and packages in creativity training programs. Creativity Research Journal, 18(4), 435–446. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1804_3
Michael, L. A. H., Hou, Sh.-T., & Fan, H.-L. (2011). Creative self-efficacy and innovative behavior in a service setting: Optimism as a moderator. Journal of Creative Behavior, 45(4), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.2011.tb01430.x
Perry, A., & Karpova, E. (2017). Efficacy of teaching creative thinking skills: A comparison of multiple creativity assessments. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 24, 118–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2017.02.017
Phelan, S. G. (2001). Developing creative competence at work: The reciprocal effects of creative thinking, self-efficacy and organizational culture on creative performance. Alliant International University, United States [unpublished source].
Sanaei, H., Hossini, S. A., & Jamshidifar, Z. (2014). Effectiveness of mindfulness training on self-efficacy of patients infected by breast cancer. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 159, 426–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.12.400
Scott, G., Leritz, L. E., & Mumford, M. D. (2004). The effectiveness of creativity training: A quantitative review. Creativity Research Journal, 16(4), 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1604_1
Shahidi, Sh., Akbari, H., & Zargar, F. (2017). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction on emotion regulation and test anxiety in female high school students. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_98_16
Tan, A.-G., Ho, V., Ho, E., & Ow, S. (2008). High school students’ perceived creativity: Self-efficacy and emotions in a service learning context. The International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving, 18(2), 115–126.
Tierney, P., & Farmer, S. M. (2002). Creative self-efficacy: Its potential antecedents and relationship to creative performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 45(6), 1137–1148. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069429
Vally, Z., Salloum, L., AlQedra, D., Shazly, el S., Albloshi, M., Alsheraifi, S., & Alkaabi, A. (2019). Examining the effects of creativity training on creative production, creative self-efficacy, and neuro-executive functioning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 31, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.11.003
West, R. E., Tateishi, I., Wright, G. A., & Fonoimoana, M. (2012). Innovation 101: Promoting undergraduate innovation through a two-day boot camp. Creativity Research Journal, 24(2–3), 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2012.677364
Yu, Ch. (2013a). An empirical examination of a four-component of creative self-efficacy among undergraduate students. Journal of Applied Sciences, 13(19), 4092–4095. https://doi.org/10.3923/jas.2013.4092.4095
Yu, Ch. (2013b). The relationship between undergraduate students’ creative self-efficacy, creative ability and career self-management. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2(2), 181–193.
Zabelina, D. L., O’Leary, D., Pornpattananangkul, N., Nusslock, R., & Beeman, M. (2015). Creativity and sensory gating indexed by the P50: Selective versus leaky sensory gating in divergent thinkers and creative achievers. Neuropsychologia, 69, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.034
Zedelius, C. M., & Schooler, J. W. (2015). Mind wandering “Ahas” versus mindful reasoning: Alternative routes to creative solutions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00834
View article in other formats
CrossMark check
Published
Issue
Section
Copyright
Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.