Intelligent Assessment of Scientific Creativity by Integrating Data Augmentation and Pseudo-Labeling

Scientific creativity is a crucial indicator of adolescents’ potential in science and technology, and its automated evaluation plays a vital role in the early identification of innovative talent. To address challenges such as limited sample sizes, high annotation costs, and modality heterogeneity, this study proposes a multimodal assessment method that integrates data augmentation and pseudo-labeling techniques. For the first time, a joint enhancement approach is introduced that combines textual and visual data with a pseudo-labeling strategy to accommodate the characteristics of text–image integration in elementary students’ cognitive expressions. Specifically, SMOTE is employed to expand questionnaire data, EDA is used to enhance hand-drawn text–image data, and text–image semantic alignment is applied to improve sample quality. Additionally, a confidence-driven pseudo-labeling mechanism is incorporated to optimize the use of unlabeled data. Finally, multiple machine learning models are integrated to predict scientific creativity. The results demonstrate the following: 1. Data augmentation significantly increases sample diversity, and the highest accuracy of information alignment was achieved when text and images were matched. 2. The combination of data augmentation and pseudo-labeling mechanisms improves model robustness and generalization. 3. Family environment, parental education, and curiosity are key factors influencing scientific creativity. This study offers a cost-effective and efficient approach for assessing scientific creativity in elementary students and provides practical guidance for fostering their innovative potential.