ArticleBMC psychology2025
How creative self-efficacy influences problem-solving skills in engineering education: the dual mediating role of critical thinking and metacognition.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effect of traditional versus video-assisted problem-based learning on pediatric nursing students' academic self-efficacy and self-directed learning: implications for pediatric patients care.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Suicidal Cognitions and Suicidal Ideation Severity: The Moderating Effect of Psychological Inflexibility About Suicidal Ideation.Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research · 2026Article
- Gender, STEM career interest, and computational thinking: a social cognitive career theory perspective from Turkish adolescents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Screen exposure in relation to cool and hot executive functions in preschoolers: parenting processes as mediators and parental growth mindset as moderator.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of virtual simulation-based pre-learning and the mediating role of metacognition in pharmacokinetics laboratory education.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Effects of integrating a structured design thinking strategy into generative AI-supported design learning on students' design achievement, creative self-efficacy, and problem-solving skills.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Integrating DeepL Write and Claude AI to enhance argumentative writing competence of engineering students in India.Frontiers in artificial intelligence · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundProblem-solving skills are a core competency for engineering students, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying their development remain poorly understood. Creative self-efficacy has been identified as a potential motivational driver of problem-solving skills, but the pathways through which it functions have received limited empirical investigation. This study examines the direct relationship between creative self-efficacy and problem-solving skills and explores the dual mediating roles of critical thinking and metacognition in this relationship.
methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of undergraduate engineering students (N = 711). Validated self-report scales were used to assess creative self-efficacy, critical thinking, metacognition, and problem-solving skills. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed dual mediation model.
resultsCreative self-efficacy was found to have a statistically significant direct effect on problem-solving skills (p < 0.01), although the effect size was weak (f² = 0.031). In contrast, creative self-efficacy had strong effects on both critical thinking (p < 0.001, f² = 0.690) and metacognition (p < 0.001, f² = 0.676). Both critical thinking (p < 0.01) and metacognition (p < 0.001) significantly mediated the relationship between creative self-efficacy and problem-solving skills, though their direct effects on problem-solving were modest (f² = 0.035 and f² = 0.129, respectively).
conclusionsThe findings demonstrate that creative self-efficacy primarily enhances problem-solving skills through its positive effects on critical thinking and metacognition. These results highlight the need for engineering education to strengthen students' critical thinking and metacognition while fostering their confidence in their problem-solving. These insights offer both theoretical and practical guidance for designing targeted interventions to enhance students' problem-solving skills.
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