What drives teaching for creativity? Dynamic componential modelling of the school environment, teacher enthusiasm, and metacognition

Drawing on the dynamic componential model of creativity, this study examined how school-level factors (i.e., general collaboration in teaching, participation in school decision making, available equipment and resources, and colleague innovation) and individual-level factors (i.e., metacognition and enthusiasm) are associated with teaching for creativity. The study involved an online questionnaire completed by 7187 teachers in China. The results of structural equation modelling and bootstrapping showed that metacognition and enthusiasm served as strong predictors of teaching for creativity. General collaboration in teaching had the strongest association with teaching for creativity, followed by colleague innovation and available equipment and resources. Teachers’ participation in school decision making was negatively related to teaching for creativity. •Teacher enthusiasm and metacognition were critical to teaching for creativity.•Teacher enthusiasm had a much stronger link with teaching for creativity than metacognition did.•General collaboration in teaching and colleague innovation were the strongest school-level facilitators of teaching for creativity.•Participation in school decision making was negatively related to teaching for creativity.