The teacher–student relationship and student creativity: Student engagement as a mediator

Given the importance of creativity in higher education, it is imperative to explore the strategies that can be employed at universities to foster student creativity. With this objective in mind, our aim in this study was to investigate the impact of the teacher–student relationship on student creativity, with a specific focus on the mediating role of student engagement. To collect data, we had 526 Chinese college students complete a survey. The hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling. The results indicated that a positive teacher–student relationship was positively connected with student creativity indirectly through the mediation of student engagement. This research enhances understanding of the underlying mechanism that links the teacher–student relationship to student creativity and provides practical implications for promoting creativity among college students.