The mediating role of metacognitive awareness in the relationship between critical thinking and self-regulation

Higher-order thinking skills have become one of the most current and essential issues in educational research and attracted researchers' attention. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of metacognitive awareness in the relationship between self-regulation and critical thinking. The sample consisted of 460 teacher candidates, and the data collection tools were the Self–regulation Inventory, the Critical Thinking Standards Scale and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. The data were collected through an online survey platform, and mediation analyses were conducted to test the mediating role of metacognitive awareness in the relationship between critical thinking and self-regulation behaviors. The results revealed that these constructs were significantly related to each other, and metacognitive awareness was found as a partial mediator variable between self-regulation and critical thinking. Based on these results, it can be concluded that these constructs have a complex structure that needs to be investigated in future studies. The results of the current study suggest that the constructs of self-regulation and metacognitive awareness should be taken into consideration to enhance individuals' critical thinking skills.