Saudi Universities' Fulfillment of Requirements for Developing Personal Creative and Innovative Capacities: A Descriptive-Comparative Study from Female Doctoral Students' Perspectives

This study examined the extent to which Saudi universities meet the personal requirements for developing creativity and innovation among doctoral students and investigated differences by university, academic specialization, and academic stage. A descriptive survey and comparative approach was employed, using a 12-item questionnaire administered to a stratified random sample of 294 female doctoral students from five Saudi universities: Umm Al-Qura University, King Abdulaziz University, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, King Khalid University, and King Faisal University. The overall mean was 3.65 out of 5, indicating a high level of fulfillment of the personal requirements for developing creativity and innovation. Statistically significant differences were found at the α ≤ .001 level by university, favoring King Faisal University, and by academic stage, favoring students in the coursework stage. No statistically significant differences were found by academic specialization. The study recommends strengthening time-management practices, purposeful imagination, and reflective thinking in doctoral programs. Its contribution lies in providing evaluative indicators to guide universities in improving graduate learning environments and strengthening the personal foundations of creativity and innovation among female doctoral students.