NATURE VERSUS NURTURE: THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSROOM CREATIVE CLIMATE ON RISK-TAKING PREFERENCES OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Engineering companies are increasingly placing more value on creativity and innovation as they are the key to solving wicked problems. However, engineers often avoid taking the risks that are necessary for innovation to occur due to the uncertainty associated with creative ideas. As design researchers and educators, it is crucial that we identify ways to foster creativity and innovation in engineering education and examine how our classroom practices may either restrict or encourage students' willingness to take risks. This study makes a first attempt at answering these questions by investigating the role of creative climate in engineering education by exploring the relationship between individual preferences for creative risk-taking and perception of creative climate in the classroom, as well as the link between creative climate perception and individual creative-risk taking actions. Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between creative climate and creative risk-taking in other fields, but this study expands on those findings by examining this relationship in engineering classrooms. The results indicate a positive relationship between willingness to take risks and perception of creative climate, with creative climate influencing concept screening preferences. Class type and level were also shown to influence this relationship. These findings provide empirical evidence supporting the need for establishing a creative climate in engineering classrooms to support innovation.