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The Relationship between Social Capital and Innovation Potential: The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Psychological Capital

Guide to Education Innovation / 2025,5(4): 259-275 / 2025-12-29 15 7

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• Authors: Qiuyan Zhang¹²* Jianping Hu³ Xinyi Liu³ Xiaoyan Cheng⁴
• Information:

  1. Mental Health Education and Counseling Center, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou;
  2. College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai;
  3. Laboratory for Behavioral and Regional Finance, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou;
  4. Guangdong Experimental Secondary School, Guangzhou

• Keywords:
  Psychological capital; Social capital; Innovation potential; Mediating effect; Moderating effect
• Abstract: This study investigated the influence and mechanism of social capital on innovation potential through the 2018 sample data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). 12,318 Chinese people were identified as research subjects, and a model was constructed and validated to explore the relationship between social capital and innovation potential. The results showed that (1) both social capital and psychological capital were significantly and positively related to innovation potential; (2) psychological capital played a partial mediating effect in the relationship between social capital and innovation potential; (3) psychological capital played a moderating effect in the relationship between social capital and innovation potential — when individuals had a higher level of psychological capital, social capital showed a more substantial facilitation effect on innovation potential. These findings enrich the theory of innovation and provide cross-cultural evidence to better exploit the role of innovation in economic development and social progress.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.35534/gei.0504028 (registering DOI)
• Cite: Zhang, Q. Y., Hu, J. P., Liu, X. Y.& Cheng, X. Y. (2025). The Relationship between Social Capital and Innovation Potential: The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Psychological Capital. Guide to Education Innovation, 5(4), 259-275.