Introduction. The MSME workforce plays a crucial role in sustaining business continuity and enhancing operational efficiency. In this context, non-formal economic education and creative learning methods are increasingly recognized as essential tools for improving workers’ skills and creative capacities. However, the effectiveness of such educational efforts often varies depending on organizational readiness and the surrounding business environment, highlighting the need to understand how educational interventions translate into workplace performance.
The aim of the research – to examine the influence of non-formal economic education and creative learning on creative competence and operational efficiency among workers in MSMEs, and to determine whether creative competence serves as a mediating factor in improving productivity.
Materials and methods. This study employed a quantitative approach using an online survey administered to individuals working in MSMEs. From an initial pool of 378 respondents, 250 qualified participants were selected following a screening process. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 3.0 to assess the relationships among non-formal economic education, creative learning, creative competence, and workforce efficiency.
Results. Non-formal economic education (β = 0.466; p < 0.001) and creative learning (β = 0.394; p < 0.001) were found to increase creative competence, with a model explanatory power of 67.9% (R2 = 0.679). However, creative competence did not affect the productivity of MSMEs (β = –0.068; p = 0.553), in line with the low explanatory power of productivity (R2 = 0.018). There was no direct or mediating effect on productivity. These findings confirm that increased creativity does not automatically improve efficiency without the support of technology, a clear organizational structure, and a conducive work environment.
Conclusion. The study underscores the importance of designing training programs that incorporate practical, field-oriented applications to ensure that creative competencies can be effectively translated into improved work efficiency. Practical recommendations are offered for policymakers, training organizers, and MSME practitioners to strengthen the alignment between creativity enhancement efforts and operational strategies.
Keywords: non-formal economic education, creative learning, creative competence, MSME productivity
For Citation: Sakti, N. C., & Muhlisin, M. (2026). Non-Formal Economic Education, Creative Learning, and Creative Competence in Improving MSME Productivity towards Economic Independence. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania = Perspectives of Science and Education, (3), 718–732. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2026.3.45
Authors:
Norida Canda Sakti (Surabaya, Indonesia) — Associate Professor, Department of Economics Education, Faculty of Economics and Business. Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Email: noridacanda@unesa.ac.id
Muhlisin (Bangkalan, Indonesia) — Lecturer, Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business. Universitas KH. Bahaudin Mudhary Madura. Email: muhlisin2195@gmail.com
© N. C. Sakti, Muhlisin, 2026
The author’s declared no conflicts of interest
Received: 12 December 2025 | Approved: 20 March 2026 | Published: 30 June 2026
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike International License (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal
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