Competitive Climate, Personal Value Orientations, and Achievement Ambition as Interactive Predictors of Creative Performance: A Multilevel Analysis

This study examined whether competition, personal values, and ambition predict creative performance beyond demographic characteristics. Guided by an integrative socio-cognitive motivational framework, a two-phase cross-sectional survey design was adopted involving 384 undergraduate students from the University of Uyo. Standardised instruments measuring competitive disposition, personal values, ambition, and creative performance were administered alongside demographic measures. All scales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Ethical principles of informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, and voluntary participation were maintained. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses to examine predictors of creative performance. Demographic variables accounted for a modest proportion of variance, with gender, age, and educational level emerging as significant predictors. The inclusion of psychological variables significantly improved model fit. Competition was the strongest predictor of creative performance, indicating that structured competitive contexts may enhance creativity. Conformity, self-direction, and security values were positively associated with creativity, suggesting that the integration of social structure, autonomy, and psychological safety supports creative engagement. Ambition also had a modest but significant effect. These findings contribute to theory by highlighting the joint influence of contextual, motivational, and dispositional factors on creativity and challenging assumptions that conformity undermines creative expression. Practically, the results underscore the importance of balancing competition and collaboration while fostering adaptive ambition and supportive value systems. Evidence from Nigeria extends the generalizability of creativity research to non-Western contexts.