LAUSR

PurposeThe purpose of this study aims to understand if there are any differences in the influence of aesthetic experience and creative self-efficacy on innovative behaviors of Thai students and Chinese international students and whether creative self-efficacy has a mediating effect between aesthetic experience and innovative behavior.Design/methodology/approachThree Thai universities with Chinese international students were selected through purposive sampling. There were 329 valid responses, consisting of responses from 170 Thai students and 159 Chinese students. The data were analyzed by employing multigroup structural equation modeling.FindingsThe analysis of the differences between the students of the two countries shows that the influence of aesthetic experience on creative self-efficacy, as well as the creative self-efficacy on innovative behavior of Chinese international students, is greater than that of Thai students, while the influence of aesthetic experience on innovative behavior of Thai students is greater than that of Chinese international students.Originality/valueThere are some differences between Thai and Chinese students, which could be attributed to their differing environments, cultures and prior learning experiences.