When externally oriented motivation appears to matter: shared and unique associations with creative-process practices and learning engagement among Chinese art students

Motivation is closely related to students' engagement in learning, yet the associations of intrinsic motivation (IM) and externally oriented motivation (EM) may differ depending on whether they are examined separately or simultaneously. This study examined their shared and unique associations with self-reported creative-process practices (CPP) and learning engagement (LE) among Chinese university art students.

Survey data were collected from 481 students enrolled in art programs in one Chinese province using purposive sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the four-factor measurement model, followed by structural equation modeling of three specifications: an IM-only model, an EM-only model, and a simultaneous IM-EM model.

When examined separately, both IM and EM were positively associated with CPP and LE and showed significant indirect associations with LE through CPP. When modeled simultaneously, IM retained significant associations with CPP and LE, whereas the corresponding EM associations and its indirect association through CPP were smaller and no longer statistically significant. The CPP-LE association remained positive and statistically significant across all three model specifications.

The findings indicate that externally oriented motivation can show meaningful associations when considered independently, but much of this association may overlap with intrinsic motivational variance. They also highlight the importance of distinguishing separate from unique motivational associations and of treating creative-process practices and learning engagement as related but conceptually distinct aspects of creative learning.