The Predictive Influence of Career Aspiration and Parental Support on Creativity Skills of In-School Adolescents in Osogbo Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Creativity skills are increasingly recognized as essential competencies for academic, personal, and social success among adolescents. This developmental stage is marked by rapid cognitive, emotional, and social growth, making it an ideal period for fostering creative thinking. Creativity enables adolescents to generate novel ideas, solve complex problems, and adapt effectively to new situations. Recent global research emphasizes that developing creativity during adolescence is crucial for innovation, academic achievement, and lifelong learning. The study employed a descriptive survey design of correlational type to examine relationships and predictive effects between variables. The target population comprised all in-school adolescents in Osogbo Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 200 in-school adolescents were purposively selected to participate in the study based on accessibility and relevance to the research objectives. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to determine the relationships between variables, while multiple regression analysis examined the joint contribution of independent variables on creativity skills at a 0.05 level of significance. The results indicate a significant positive relationship between career aspiration and creativity skills (r = 0.63, p < 0.05). The findings show a significant positive relationship between parental support and creativity skills (r = 0.48, p < 0.05). The joint analysis shows that career aspiration and parental support significantly predict creativity skills, accounting for 34% of the variance (F = 70.45, p < 0.05). The study concluded that both career aspiration and parental support are significant determinants of creativity skills among in-school adolescents in Osogbo Local Government.