The Relationship Between High School Students’ Perceptions of Comfort Zone and Creative Thinking Tendency: The Mediating Role of Risk-Taking

Authors : Volkan Alparslan Kılıç, Derin Arava, Rüya Ata, Duru Öztürk

Pages : 156-179

Doi:10.59041/eyor.1792686

View : 154 | Download : 309

Publication Date : 2025-12-20

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The aim of this study is to examine the effect of high school students’ comfort zone perception on their creative thinking tendency, as well as the mediating role of positive risk-taking tendency in this relationship. A total of 396 high school students participated in the study. Data were collected using the Comfort Zone Orientation Scale, the Creative Thinking Tendency Scale, and the Positive Risk-Taking Scale for Adolescents. The data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software. Normality tests indicated that the data were normally distributed, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the scales were found to be above the acceptable reliability thresholds. The analyses included t-tests, one-way ANOVA, LSD post hoc tests, and mediation analysis. The findings revealed that comfort zone perception has a direct negative effect on creative thinking tendency, and that positive risk-taking tendency plays a mediating role in this relationship. It was concluded that while an increase in comfort zone perception decreases creative thinking tendency, positive risk-taking tendency positively influences creative thinking. Significant differences were observed based on demographic variables: male students exhibited higher levels of creative thinking, while female students showed higher levels of positive risk-taking and challenge-seeking tendencies. It was also found that as grade level increases, creative thinking and risk-taking tendencies increase, whereas the tendency to remain in the comfort zone decreases.
Keywords : Comfort Zone, Creativity, Risk-Taking

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