Pathways to Creative Self-Concept in Higher Education: Exploratory Analysis of Academic Engagement Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between engagement and creative self-concept among higher education students, considering relationships between variables and the necessary and sufficient configurations of conditions associated with high levels of creative self-concept. To this end, we employed a hybrid approach based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), combining these symmetrical and asymmetrical methods to integrate variable-centered and configurational perspectives. Participants were 239 final-year undergraduates (60.5% female, 39.0% male, 0.5% non-binary) attending a university in northern Spain. Results indicated that cognitive engagement showed the strongest association with creative self-concept in the PLS-SEM analysis, whereas no single engagement dimension emerged as a necessary condition. The fsQCA identified two alternative configurations associated with high creative self-concept: high collaborative learning combined with high cognitive engagement, and high collaborative learning combined with high affective engagement. These findings suggest that cognitive engagement is the most consistently supported correlate of creative self-concept, while collaborative learning may contribute in combination with different forms of student engagement. From an educational perspective, the results point to the potential value of learning environments that combine cognitive challenge with opportunities for collaboration and positive emotional connection to learning.