Self-Development and Teacher Creativity in Brazilian Public Schools: The Mediating Role of Human Capital
AUTHORS
Rafael Henrique Silva,Faculty of Education, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mariana Costa Almeida,Department of Educational Administration, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil
Lucas Pereira Nogueira,School of Education, State University of Campinas, Brazil
ABSTRACT
This study examines the relationship between teachers’ self-development and creativity in Brazilian public schools, with particular attention to the mediating role of human capital. In contexts characterized by institutional constraints and educational inequality, understanding how individual development mechanisms translate into creative capacity is especially relevant. Adopting a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from employees of public basic education schools in Brazil using validated Portuguese-language instruments measuring self-development, human capital, and creativity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test direct and indirect relationships among the constructs. The findings indicate that self-development positively influences both human capital and creativity. Human capital mediates the relationship between self-development and creativity, suggesting that investments in individual learning, self-regulation, and self-directed professional growth enhance creative capacity primarily by strengthening teachers' knowledge, skills, and expertise. By providing empirical evidence from Brazil, this study extends human capital and creativity research to an emerging economy context and offers insights for educational policy and teacher development strategies in public school systems facing persistent resource constraints.
KEYWORDS
Self-development, Teacher creativity, Human capital, Public education, Professional development, Structural equation modeling, Brazil
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