The mediating effects of engagement on the relationship between perceived digital inquiry and creativity

Abstract

Students’ perceived competencies may reflect dispositions to trigger and enhance engagement acts and promote engagement benefits. Although perceived competencies and engagement acts are significant resources in STEM learning, their relationships remain unclear. Accordingly, we applied the transactional model of engagement (TME) to examine these associations, focusing on how emotional and cognitive engagement affect the mediating effect of perceived digital inquiry on perceived creativity. The participants were 305 secondary school STEM learners in Hong Kong. Mediation analyses showed that emotional engagement mediated the positive relationship between perceived digital inquiry and creativity, whereas cognitive engagement had no such mediating effect.

Keywords:

• Self-determination theory
• STEM education
• creativity
• engagement
• digital education
• inquiry-based learning
• mediating effect

Disclosure statement

This study got ethical clearance from the corresponding author’s university. There is no conflict of interests between the author and participants.

Data availability statement

The datasets used for the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study is funded by General Research Council, Hong Kong SAR (project code: 2191277).

Notes on contributors

Xiaojing Weng

Xiaojing Weng is currently a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on educational technology, instructional design, and 21st-century skills.

Thomas K. F. Chiu

Thomas K.F. Chiu is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Faculty of Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests include Digital Education, STEM education, and Teacher Education.