Learning contextual factors, student engagement, and problem-solving skills: A Chinese perspective

Although problem-solving skills are considered as key higher order cognitive skills, in the Chinese learning context there are gaps in the literature regarding more comprehensive examinations of which factors are likely to promote university students’ creative problem-solving skills. We explored the relationships of the learning contextual factors of higher order learning and effective teaching practices with student rule-oriented, procedural, and intellectual engagement, and the students’ problem-solving skills. Participants were 21,584 junior undergraduate students at 10 Chinese universities. Findings indicate that (a) effective teaching practices were the most important determinants in formulating students’ problem-solving skills, (b) higher order learning was the strongest predictor of student engagement, and (c) student engagement components mediated the relationship between learning contextual factors and the development of problem-solving skills. The results of an importance–performance map analysis revealed that teachers’ constructive feedback to students was a specific weakness in current Chinese teaching practices. Therefore, teachers need to provide students with more timely and facilitative feedback on their academic performance.