Critical thinking disposition as a mediator in creativity and problem-solving: A MASEM study

Critical thinking disposition (CTD) is a higher-order thinking skill that plays a crucial role due to its direct and indirect effects on problem-solving (PS) and creative thinking (CT) skills. Studies in the field of education frequently emphasize critical thinking as an important component of 21st-century skills. Accordingly, this study examined the mediating role of critical thinking disposition between problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Utilizing the meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) method, this study synthesized 74 correlation values from 64 studies. These correlations examined the relationships between critical thinking disposition (CTD) and problem-solving skills (PSS) (k = 53), CTD and creative thinking skills (CTS) (k = 15), and PSS and CTS (k = 6). Correlation coefficients were considered to test the mediating role of CTD in the relationship between creative thinking and problem-solving. Data collected from a total population of 17,273 individuals were included in the analysis. The research results show that CTD is related to both PSS and CTS. Furthermore, it was determined that CTD acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between PSS and CTS. According to this result, creative thinking affects problem-solving both directly and indirectly through critical thinking disposition, with these pathways collectively explaining 22 % of the variance in problem-solving. The study findings also indicated that the scales used to measure CTD might yield different results concerning the relationships with PSS and CTS. Conversely, it was determined that the country where the studies were conducted, participant age, and gender were not significant moderators. These findings highlight the interconnectedness of these higher-order thinking skills and suggest that interventions targeting CTD could enhance both creative and problem-solving abilities, while also underscoring the need for careful consideration of measurement instruments.