This study explored the structural relationships among innovation support in Chinese Universities, psychological capital, goal orientation, and innovative behavior of Chinese College Students. A convenience sample was used to collect data from student...
This study explored the structural relationships among innovation support in Chinese Universities, psychological capital, goal orientation, and innovative behavior of Chinese College Students. A convenience sample was used to collect data from students in different universities of Jiangsu Province, China. To collect the samples, the survey questionnaires were distributed through wjx.cn (an online survey platform) and widgets. 757 college students voluntarily participated in the questionnaire survey. The survey data was used for further analysis. The research used SPSS V.26.0 and AMOS V.24.0 for the purpose of conducting data analysis, aiming to assess the general tendencies of university innovation support, college students' goal orientation, psychological capital, and The Structural Relationship among Innovation Support in Chinese Universities, Psychological Capital, Goal Orientation, and Innovative Behavior of Chinese College Students innovative behavior by calculating and providing mean values(M) and standard deviations(SD). To determine potential differences in college students' innovative behavior and university innovation support based on various socio- demographic characteristics, the research conducted either a t-test or One-way ANOVA. Additionally, the team performed a structural equation model analysis to understand the structural relationships among university innovation support, college students' goal orientation, psychological capital, and innovative behavior. The main results of this study are as follows. Firstly, when looking at the overall levels of various elements, university innovation support, college students' goal orientation, college students' psychological capital, and college students' innovative behavior exhibited moderate to above-average levels. Among the sub-factors of university innovation support, interpersonal support was the highest, while instrumental support was the lowest. Within the sub-factors of college students' goal orientation, learning goal orientation was the highest, and performance goal orientation was the lowest. Among the sub-factors of college students' psychological capital, hope was the highest, and resilience was the lowest. Within the sub-factors of college students' innovative behavior, academic learning was the highest, and academic exploration was the lowest. Secondly, the results of the analysis of differences in Chinese college students' innovative behavior based on socio-demographic factors (gender, grade, major, hometown, frequency of participating extracurricular activities, class cadre or not, entrepreneurial intentions or not, and academic achievement) are as follows: (1) There are no differences in innovative behavior by gender. (2) There are differences in innovative behavior by grade. (3) There are no differences in innovative behavior by major. (4) There are differences in innovative behavior by hometown. (5) There are differences in innovative behavior by the frequency of participation in extracurricular activities. (6) There are differences in innovative behavior by class cadre or not. (7) There are differences in innovative behavior by entrepreneurial intentions or not. (8) There are differences in innovative behavior by academic achievement. Thirdly, the results of the analysis of differences in Chinese college students' innovation support based on socio-demographic factors (gender, grade, major, hometown, frequency of participating extracurricular activities, class cadre or not, entrepreneurial intentions or not, and academic achievement) are as follows: (1) There are differences in university innovation support by gender. (2) There are no differences in university innovation support by grade. (3) There are no differences in university innovation support by major. (4) There are no differences in university innovation support by hometown. (5) There are differences in university innovation support by the frequency of participation in extracurricular activities. (6) There are no differences in university innovation support by class cadre or not. (7) There are no differences in university innovation support entrepreneurial intention or not. (8) There are differences in university innovation support by academic achievement. Fourthly, as for the relationship between innovation support and college students' innovative behavior, parallel mediation effects and serial mediation effects involving goal orientation and psychological capital have been identified. This means that university innovation support has an indirect impact on college students by affecting their goal orientation and psychological capital, as well as their innovative behavior. The study intends to investigate the general level and structural relationships among innovation support in Chinese universities and the goal orientation, psychological capital, and innovation behavior of college students. This study aims to provide foundational data for improving Chinese college students' innovation behavior in an increasingly competitive society. College students' innovative behavior and abilities play a crucial role in the development of the nation, society, and individuals. Therefore, regardless of the level of universities, innovative behavior should be considered as an essential component of education. To achieve this, the following recommendations are made in this study to improve college students' innovative behavior: Efforts should be made to provide students with the resources they need for innovation, to assist them in establishing clear, specific, and measurable goals, to cultivate an optimistic and confident mindset, and to increase self-efficacy. To improve their competitiveness in the ever-changing real world, Chinese universities ought to focus on the development of students' innovative behavior. Thereby enhancing their prospects in the future.