Reflective thinking, effort, persistence, disorganization and academic performance: A mediational approach

Introduction: This article reports on a two-phase study that was conducted looking at study processing strategies, reflective thinking practice, and academic performance. Phase 1 is a meditational analysis of a conceptual model that we have developed involving examination of direct and mediating effects between the four phases of reflection (habitual action, understanding, reflection, and critical thinking) and academic performance, mediated by disorganization, persistence, and effort. Phase 2 involved a logistic regression analysis that examined students' engagement in reflective thinking practice and their effort expenditure. Method: Three hundred and four (131 females, 173 males) university students were administered a package of Likert-type inventories (e.g., The Reflective Thinking Questionnaire) in tutorial classes. Results: Results from Phase 1 indicated the importance of the understanding and reflection phases and persistence as direct determinants of academic performance. Persistence also acted as a mediator between the reflection phase and academic performance. From Phase 2, logistic regression analysis showed that students' engagement in critical thinking led to effort expenditure in learning. Discussion or Conclusion: In conclusion, the conceptual model and subsequent findings established in this study make theoretical and practical contributions to the literature concerning the direct-mediating mechanism between reflective thinking practice, disorganization, persistence, effort, and academic performance.