This study examines how collegiate climates and practices can promote innovation capacities among an international longitudinal sample of undergraduate women. Using a pre-test/post-test quantitative design with a reliable and valid dependent measure of innovation capacities, this study employs structural equation modeling to robustly estimate collegiate effects over-and-above students’ entry characteristics and personality traits. Results indicate that curricular practices (e.g., faculty challenge, course-taking patterns) and co-curricular engagement (e.g., connecting experiences) spur the development of innovation capacities among our sample of women. Findings are discussed and implications for theory, research, and practice are provided.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of collegiate environments and experiences on students’ development of innovation capacities over four years of college. Drawing on an interdisciplinary theoretical framework and reliable innovation measures, students from nine postsecondary institutions in North America were surveyed at three time points: first-year fall, first-year spring, and fourth-year spring. Data were comprehensively analyzed using a growth mixture modeling approach. Results suggest that being a transfer student and having sustained engagement with experiences that connect in-class and out-of-class learning were associated with a robust innovation growth trajectory over-and-above known covariates, including personality traits. Implications for research, theory, and practice are considered.
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