Article 2026

Ability beliefs and intrinsic motivation: Predictors in computational-thinking and inquiry-based pedagogies for critical skills

Innovations in Education and Teaching International
Journal · Vol. 63 · Issue 1 · pp. 113-129
Abstract

Associations among self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and instructional methodologies fundamentally determine the success of skill acquisition within educational frameworks. This study assessed the impact of inquiry-based and computational thinking pedagogies on the outcomes among 132 students from two universities in Enugu State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design using five instruments to assess students’ experiences. Hierarchical Multiple Regression and 5000 re-samples BC bootstrapping via the PROCESS macro were employed to test hypotheses and examine the relationship between student engagement and achievement. The study found that inquiry-based and computational thinking pedagogies improved achievement and retention, with ability, belief and intrinsic motivation as mediators. This study contributed to extant literature by integrating the mediators into computational thinking and inquiry-based learning, presenting a groundbreaking framework that enhances critical skills acquisition in Nigerian universities. The study recommended integrating these methods into Nigerian university frameworks to enhance students’ academic achievement, retention, and critical skills acquisition. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Author Keywords

academic achievement computational thinking pedagogy critical skills Educational research and statistics inquiry-based learning knowledge retention

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Business and Entrepreneurship Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Business Education, University of Nigeria, Naukka, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Science Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Educational Management, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Technology and Vocational Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Department of Education, Federal College of Education (Technical) Isu Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Department of Educational Foundations, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani, Enugu, Nigeria
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 Al Husaeni, Dwi Fitria, How Technology Can Change Educational Research? Definition, Factors for Improving Quality of Education and Computational Bibliometric Analysis, ASEAN Journal of Science and Engineering, 4, 2, pp. 127-166, (2024)
2 Al Dhaen, Esra Saleh, The influence of digital competence of academicians on students’ engagement at university level: moderating effect of the pandemic outbreak, Competitiveness Review, 34, 1, pp. 51-71, (2024)
3 Alivernini, Fabio, The academic motivation scale (AMS): Factorial structure, invariance, and validity in the Italian context, TPM - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 15, 4, pp. 211-220, (2008)
4 Reviewing Computational Thinking in Compulsory Education State of Play and Practices from Computing Education, (2022)
5 Harvard Educational Review, (1961)
6 Brydges, Christopher R., Effect Size Guidelines, Sample Size Calculations, and Statistical Power in Gerontology, Innovation in Aging, 3, 4, (2019)
7 21st Century Learning Design 21clm, (2017)
8 Chevalier, Morgane, Fostering computational thinking through educational robotics: a model for creative computational problem solving, International Journal of STEM Education, 7, 1, (2020)
9 Consoli, Sal, Understanding Motivation through Ecological Research: The Case of Exploratory Practice, Complexity Perspectives on Researching Language Learner and Teacher Psychology, pp. 120-135, (2020)
10 Handbook of Research on Science Education, (2014)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
0
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers