The Relationship between Transformational Teaching and Critical Thinking with the Mediating Role of Students' Academic Engagement

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between transformational teaching and critical thinking with the mediating role of students' academic engagement. Methodology: This research is applied in terms of its objective and descriptive-correlational in terms of its methodology, utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included all high school students in the second phase of Islamabad-e-Gharb County during the 2022-2023 academic year, totaling 1,650 students. The sample size, based on stratified random sampling and using the Krejcie and Morgan table, was estimated at 304 participants. The research instruments included the Transformational Teaching Questionnaire by Boujamp et al. (2010), the Academic Engagement Questionnaire by Schaufeli et al. (2005), and the Critical Thinking Questionnaire by Facione et al. (1989–1990). The reliability of the questionnaires was determined through Cronbach's alpha, with values of 0.928 for transformational teaching, 0.923 for academic engagement, and 0.938 for critical thinking. To analyze the data and test the research hypotheses, inferential statistical tests (path analysis and SEM) were conducted using SPSS and SMART PLS software. Findings: The results showed a significant relationship between transformational teaching and critical thinking with academic engagement, and academic engagement has a mediating effect on the relationship between transformational teaching and academic performance. Furthermore, the model fit indices indicated that the proposed model has an appropriate fit. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that transformational teaching and enhancing students' academic engagement can strengthen their critical thinking.