Proactive and creative personality as predictors of student engagement and innovative behavior among Chinese university students

This study examined the structural relationships among proactive personality, creative personality, student engagement, and innovative behavior among Chinese university students. Specifically, it investigated how proactive and creative personality traits independently and jointly influence student engagement and innovative behavior, while controlling for their mutual effects. Data were collected from multiple universities in China and analyzed using structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation. Results revealed that proactive personality had a significant positive effect on student engagement, whereas creative personality did not. Both proactive and creative personalities significantly influenced innovative behavior, with creative personality showing a stronger effect. Together, proactive and creative personality traits explained the majority of the variability in student engagement and innovative behavior. These findings suggest that proactive personality serves as a strong antecedent of student engagement, while both proactive and creative personalities are key drivers of innovative behavior. Theoretically, the findings reinforce that creativity may not directly enhance engagement but plays a crucial role in fostering innovation. Practically, strengthening proactive personality may enhance students' academic engagement, whereas developing both proactive and creative personalities may concurrently promote creativity and innovation. In light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, universities should implement strategies that nurture proactive and creativity-oriented traits among students.