{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T18:06:07Z","timestamp":1790273167342,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>With the widespread integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into higher education, its relationship with students\u2019 creativity has become a growing focus of scholarly inquiry. Drawing on data from 424 survey responses and in-depth interviews with eight students, this study constructs and examines a chain path model of Exploration\u2013Exploitation\u2013Co-Creation\u2013Reflection to investigate how GAI-assisted learning processes are associated with students\u2019 creativity. Quantitative analyses indicate that exploratory and exploitative behaviors are positively associated with creativity, and these associations are observed alongside perceived cognitive stimulation. Furthermore, co-creation and reflection are significantly associated with flow experience and creative self-efficacy, which are related to students\u2019 creative performance. The qualitative findings complement the quantitative results by showing that students\u2019 engagement in exploration, knowledge utilization, collaborative co-creation, and reflection during GAI-assisted learning is accompanied by cognitive inspiration and psychological engagement. Overall, this study provides insight into how GAI-assisted learning processes may be associated with creativity development in higher education through the interplay of behavioral, cognitive, and psychological mechanisms, offering implications for educational practice and theoretical advancement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0358186","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T17:23:02Z","timestamp":1790270582000},"page":"e0358186","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) reshapes students\u2019 creativity in higher education: A chain path modeling Study from \u201cExploration\u2013Exploitation\u201d to \u201cCo-Creation\u2013Reflection\u201d"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Jie","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"UCSI University","place":["Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia"],"department":["Institute of Creative Arts and Design"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1160-3188","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yixuan","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UCSI University","place":["Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia"],"department":["Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0358186.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100072","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yjoc.2023.100072","article-title":"How does generative artificial intelligence impact student creativity?","volume":"34","author":"S Habib","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Creativity"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0358186.ref002","article-title":"Students\u2019 voices on generative AI: perceptions, benefits, and challenges in higher education","volume":"20","author":"CKY Chan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Educ Technol High Educ"},{"key":"pone.0358186.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102274","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lindif.2023.102274","article-title":"ChatGPT for good? 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