According to the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and the Componential Model of Creativity (CMC), scientific motivation and creative process engagement are potentially involved in producing scientific creativity. Critically, more evidence is needed for how these constructs contribute to scientific creativity. For these reasons, the present study recruited 390 participants to complete online questionnaires on scientific motivation, creative process engagement, and scientific creativity. Correlation Network Analysis and Bayesian Network Analysis were employed to get an integrated model for studying the interactive effects among the factors. Bootstrap analysis was used to determine the critical path between these factors. Results showed that: (1) Intrinsic-related scientific motivation played critical roles in the regularized partial correlation network involving scientific motivation, creative process engagement, and scientific creativity. Further, more sparsity was revealed in the partial correlation network of males, but the scientific creativity of males is more strongly linked with other nodes in the network. (2) Career motivation was the parent node for the Bayesian Network and would positively impact scientific creativity by transforming it into intrinsic-related scientific motivation. In addition, idea generation and intrinsic motivation directly drive scientific creativity. The parent nodes of male and female Bayesian networks are different, but IMPR plays a central role in males and females. (3) The bootstrap path analysis further verified pathways revealed by the Bayesian Network, as extrinsic-related motivation influenced scientific creativity through intrinsic motivation and creative process engagement. These findings demonstrate that intrinsic-related scientific motivations are the critical factor for promoting scientific creativity and that females and males show different network characteristics.

Educational relevance statement

Enhancing our understanding of how scientific motivation and engagement in the creative process contribute to scientific creativity is crucial for developing targeted intervention programs to improve science education. By identifying students who exhibit lower levels of intrinsic motivation in science subjects, teachers can intervene early and prevent motivational issues and subsequent underachievement. Intrinsic motivation and active engagement in the creative process are critical factors in fostering scientific creativity. Creating an open and spontaneous learning environment enables students to explore freely and actively participate in the creative process, which enhances their creativity. However, it is essential to ensure that students refrain from mindlessly pursuing scientific careers, as this may hinder their scientific creativity. Integrating career motivation with intrinsic motivation can be a practical approach to promote engagement in the creative process and facilitate the development of scientific creativity. Educators should also provide a broader range of cognitive activities related to creativity. It is equally important to foster scientific motivation and promote scientific innovation among male and female students. Additionally, boys may benefit from specific career guidance to enhance their self-efficacy. In contrast, given that girls are less creative in their self-perception, interventions to address this lower creative self-efficacy seem especially important. For this, cultivating intrinsic motivation in science and promoting effective engagement in creative activities may be particularly effective for girls. Overall, by understanding the relationship between scientific motivation, creative process engagement, and scientific creativity, educators can design interventions that cater to individual needs and foster a supportive environment for students to excel in science education.

中文翻译：

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科学动机、创造性过程参与和科学创造力之间的相互作用：网络分析研究

根据社会认知职业理论（SCCT）和创造力成分模型（CMC），科学动机和创造性过程参与可能参与科学创造力的产生。至关重要的是，需要更多证据来证明这些结构如何促进科学创造力。出于这些原因，本研究招募了 390 名参与者来完成有关科学动机、创造性过程参与和科学创造力的在线调查问卷。采用相关网络分析和贝叶斯网络分析，建立了研究因素间交互作用的综合模型。Bootstrap 分析用于确定这些因素之间的关键路径。结果表明：（1）内在相关的科学动机在涉及科学动机、创造性过程参与和科学创造力的正则化偏相关网络中发挥着关键作用。此外，男性的部分相关网络显示出更多的稀疏性，但男性的科学创造力与网络中其他节点的联系更加紧密。(2)职业动机是贝叶斯网络的父节点，通过将其转化为内在相关的科学动机，对科学创造力产生积极影响。此外，想法生成和内在动机直接驱动科学创造力。男性和女性贝叶斯网络的父节点不同，但 IMPR 在男性和女性中起着核心作用。（3）引导路径分析进一步验证了贝叶斯网络揭示的路径，因为外在相关动机通过内在动机和创造性过程参与影响科学创造力。这些发现表明，内在相关的科学动机是促进科学创造力的关键因素，并且女性和男性表现出不同的网络特征。

教育相关性声明

加强我们对科学动机和参与创造性过程如何促进科学创造力的理解对于制定有针对性的干预计划以改善科学教育至关重要。通过识别在科学科目中表现出较低水平内在动机的学生，教师可以及早干预并防止动机问题和随后的成绩不佳。内在动机和积极参与创作过程是培养科学创造力的关键因素。创造一个开放、自发的学习环境，使学生能够自由探索、积极参与创作过程，从而增强他们的创造力。然而，必须确保学生不要盲目地追求科学事业，因为这可能会阻碍他们的科学创造力。将职业动机与内在动机相结合可以成为促进创造性过程参与和促进科学创造力发展的实用方法。教育工作者还应该提供更广泛的与创造力相关的认知活动。培养男女学生的科学动机、促进科学创新同样重要。此外，男孩可能会受益于具体的职业指导，以提高他们的自我效能。相比之下，鉴于女孩的自我认知创造力较低，解决这种较低的创造性自我效能感的干预措施似乎尤为重要。为此，培养科学的内在动力并促进有效参与创造性活动可能对女孩特别有效。总体而言，通过了解科学动机、创造性过程参与和科学创造力之间的关系，教育工作者可以设计满足个人需求的干预措施，并为学生在科学教育中取得优异成绩营造支持性环境。