The Impact of Paradoxical Mentorship Style on Graduate Students' Research Creativity

Abstract

This study develops a research model in which paradoxical mentorship style serves as the independent variable, harmonious and obsessive academic passion function as mediating variables, graduate students' research creativity acts as the dependent variable, and challenging as well as hindering research stressors play moderating roles. The empirical findings indicate that paradoxical mentorship style exerts a significant positive impact on graduate students' research creativity. Both harmonious and obsessive academic passion partially mediate this relationship. Moreover, challenging and hindering research stressors positively moderate the effects of paradoxical mentorship style on academic passion (both harmonious and obsessive), and further strengthen the mediating role of academic passion. This research clarifies the mechanism through which paradoxical mentorship style fosters graduate students' research creativity and offers targeted recommendations for improvement at three levels: academic institutions, supervisors, and graduate students themselves.