The role of motivation in the prediction of creative achievement inside and outside of school environment

The present study used a latent variable modelling approach to investigate the influence of motivation on creative achievement in different environments. This was used in conjunction and interaction with other creativity-related predictors, such as openness to new experience and response originality in a divergent thinking task. Specifically, the inside school and the outside school environments were analyzed in a sample of university students. Results showed that the interaction between openness and intrinsic motivation was the strongest predictor of creative achievement. This interaction predicted both outside and inside school creative achievement, which was further influenced by extrinsic tendencies. In particular, intrinsic motivation predicted creative achievement only when associated with a medium or high level of openness to experience. Originality only predicted outside school creative achievement. Limitations and implications of these results are discussed.