Designing and Investigating a Causal Model of Self-Directed Learning based on the Emotional Creativity and Tendency to Critical Thinking Mediated by Academic Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Purpose: Self-directed learning plays an important and effective role in improving other variables related to education, and the factors affecting it include emotional creativity, critical thinking, and academic self-efficacy. As a result, the aim of the present research was designing and investigating a causal model of self-directed learning based on the emotional creativity and a tendency to critical thinking mediated by academic self-efficacy.   Methodology: The present research was a descriptive-analytical from type of correlation. The research population was all male high school students in Izeh city in the 2021-2022 academic years, which 400 people of them were selected as samples with using multi-stage random sampling method with respect the ratio of students in different educational grads. The research tools were included the questionnaires of self-directed learning (Fisher et al., 2001), emotional creativity (Averill, 1999), tendency to critical thinking (Ricketts, 2003), and academic self-efficacy (Jinks and Morgan, 1999). The data of this study were analyzed with using structural equation modeling in SPSS and AMOS 22nd version software.   Findings: The findings of this study indicated that the causal model of self-directed learning based on the emotional creativity and a tendency to critical thinking mediated by academic self-efficacy in students had a good fit. In addition, emotional creativity on academic self-efficacy and self-directed learning, tendency to critical thinking on academic self-efficacy and self-directed learning, and academic self-efficacy on self-directed learning had a direct and significant effect (P<0.001). Also, emotional creativity and tendency to critical thinking on self-directed learning mediated by academic self-efficacy had an indirect and significant effect (P<0.05).   Conclusion: According to the results of this research, emotional creativity and tendency to critical thinking, either directly or indirectly (mediated by academic self-efficacy) played a decisive role in students' self-directed learning. In order to promote self-directed learning in them can be prepared the ground for improving emotional creativity, tendency to critical thinking, and academic self-efficacy through educational workshops.