Effect of Communication Frequency on Doctoral Students’ Creativity
LI Cheng-feng，YANG Zi
Abstract：Based on the analysis of “National Doctoral Graduates Survey Data”,this study examines how communication frequency between doctoral students and different knowledge subjects shapes their creativity from the perspectives of strong ties and weak ties theories. It finds that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between communication frequency with supervisors and the doctoral students' creativity increment; the communication frequency with other teachers and classmates can significantly promote the doctoral students' creativity increment, and the two have an interactive effect. In order to better leverage the role of different knowledge subjects in shaping the doctoral students' creativity, doctoral training institutions should effectively increase the communication frequency between doctoral students and supervisors, but avoid excessive intervention. They should value the role of other teachers and classmates in shaping doctoral students' creativity, and balance communication with both at the same time.
Key words：doctoral student ; communication frequency ; creativity
Published in Journal of Higher Education（《高等教育研究》）, 2025, Issue 2.
