Comparative mediator analysis: establishing links between mathematical thinking and creativity through digital game addiction and violent tendencies across gifted and non-gifted student groups.

Aim: In the modern era, playing digital games is a part of everyday life. This trend has led to an increased focus on the relationship between digital gaming and higher-order cognitive processes such as mathematical thinking and creativity in STEM education research. Therefore, the study investigated how mathematical thinking is directly and indirectly associated with creativity in gifted and non-gifted students through their digital game addiction behavior and tendency toward violence. Moreover, the research examined student gaming patterns as well as analyzed how these preferences modify the researched relationships. Methods: The study explored how digital game addiction and violent tendencies mediate the relationship between mathematical thinking and creativity using a primarily quantitative, sequential explanatory mixed methods design with 508 students (253 gifted and 255 non-gifted). Quantitative data were collected using the following instruments from the students: Mathematical Thinking Scale, Children's Computer Game Addiction Scale, Violence Tendency Scale, and Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale. Then debriefing interviews were conducted with 34 volunteer students to get qualitative data. Serial mediation modeling was used to test relationships among the research variables. Moreover, an interpretative framework was applied to analyze qualitative data, focusing on students' digital gaming habits in alignment with the study's objectives. Results: The findings revealed that for the gifted student group, mathematical thinking had a stronger impact on creativity, with digital game addiction serving as a statistically significant mediator with a positive indirect pathway. In contrast, for the non-gifted student group, mathematical thinking had a moderate effect on creativity, while digital game addiction acted as a negative mediator. Although violent tendencies demonstrated statistically significant mediating effects in both groups, their magnitude was relatively small, indicating limited practical influence compared to other pathways. Additionally, gifted students preferred action, role-playing, and strategy games, whereas non-gifted students favored social-casual games. These differences in gaming behavior contributed to the distinct cognitive outcomes observed between the groups. Conclusion: The study underscores the role of digital gaming in cognitive development and highlights the need for tailored educational strategies and guided digital game use based on individual differences.