Self-Efficacy as a Mediator in the Creative Productivity of Gifted Children

This study investigated the relationship between self-efficacy as a creative producer and initiation of independent investigations in areas of personal interest. Subjects were 294 students in grades four through eight who were participants in gifted programs based on the Enrichment Triad Model in eight schools. Path analysis was used to test the influence of grade, sex, years in the gifted program, previous independent projects, self-efficacy as a creative producer before and after a research methodology mini-course, and initiation of an independent project on final efficacy scores as a creative producer. The second analysis examined the role of the first six variables and participation in the research methodology mini-course on subsequent initiation of an independent project. Self-efficacy as a creative producer was a significant predictor of initiation of independent projects and final self-efficacy as a creative producer was higher for students who participated in such projects. The effect of treatment on self-efficacy as a creative producer or subsequent initiation of independent projects was not significant for students who had not started an independent project before the mini-course began, when considered with the other variables in the causal model.