Creativity, metacognition, and self-efficacy in error detection in worked-out problem examples

Abstract

The use of word problem worked-out examples is a common practice in secondary school science classrooms. Given the paucity of studies on ability to detect errors in worked-out science problem examples, the goals of this research focused on this ability and the effects of scientific creativity, metacognitive skills, science learning self-efficacy, grade level, and gender on it. A quantitative ex post facto cross-sectional research was conducted. A total of 139 students (74 girls and 65 boys) from three different grades of Spanish secondary education (9th, 10th, and 11th grades, between 14 and 17 years old) participated. An error detection task in two worked-out problem exemples with embedded errors, a questionnaire on metacognitive skills and science learning self-efficacy, and a questionnaire on scientific creativity, were administered to participants. Correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analyses suggest that: a) error detection ability was low overall; b) the variables that most influenced error detection in worked-out problem examples were grade level, science learning self-efficacy, and scientific creativity; and c) self-efficacy played the role of mediator between metacognitive skills and error detection, which showed the indirect effect of metacognitive skills on error detection in worked-out problem examples.