Title: Students' team creativity and innovation propensity at higher education: evidence from Ethiopia

Authors: Wondifraw Mihret Dessie; Abatihun Alehegn Sewagegn; Negalegn Alemu Bekele

Addresses: College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Debre Markos University, Ethiopia ' Institute of Education and Behavioral Science, Debre Markos University, Ethiopia ' Institute of Technology, Debre Markos University, Ethiopia

Abstract: Harnessing innovation in education programs at higher education principally attributes to produce competent graduates equipped with creative, collaborative and innovative employability skills. This paper mainly investigates the effect of team creativity practices on the innovation propensity of engineering graduating students of Debre Markos University in Ethiopia. Students' and instructors' questionnaire, structured interview and consensual assessment checklist were employed to collect data analysed through descriptive, correlation and linear regression. The results revealed that students are better in creative thinking, team collaboration and communication attributes. They were; however, ineffective in making collective decisions. It was drawn that creative thinking and team collaboration and communication practices significantly affect the innovation propensity of graduating students. Students' collective decisions insignificantly affect their innovation orientations. It was thus suggestive to curiously design support schemes and follow-up students' interdependent and independent performances. Organisational efforts should be exerted to update curricula issues and accessing resources which foster inventiveness.

Keywords: creativity; innovation; graduation projects; propensity; Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIIE.2020.108783

International Journal of Innovation in Education, 2020 Vol.6 No.2, pp.75 - 94

Received: 29 Apr 2019
Accepted: 16 Aug 2019
Published online: 03 Aug 2020 *

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