From Family to Classroom: A Multilevel Analysis of Environmental and Individual Drivers of Scientific Higher-Order Thinking in Urban Junior High Schools

Scientific higher-order thinking (S-HOT) is a key competency for cultivating innovation in science and technology. However, its influencing pathways remain unclear. This study integrates structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to explore how individual and environmental factors such as parental engagement, family atmosphere, scientific critical and judgmental ability, learning engagement, extracurricular reading, and teaching methods shape junior high school students’ S-HOT. Based on data from 124 students in Beijing, the findings show that scientific critical and judgmental ability positively affects S-HOT. Extracurricular reading enhances S-HOT indirectly through learning engagement or in combination with scientific critical and judgmental ability. However, excessive learning engagement may have a negative impact. fsQCA reveals six distinct factor combinations that contribute to S-HOT, highlighting the presence of multiple effective pathways. These findings offer both theoretical insight and practical guidance for the targeted development of higher-order thinking in science education.