Xinyu Liu, Yunhua Deng
ABSTRACT Despite growing interest in robotics‐based education, limited research has examined how such learning environments influence both cognitive development and problem‐solving skills in tertiary education, particularly regarding their interactive effects on student engagement. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates the impact of robotics classrooms on 508 college students' cognitive development, problem‐solving abilities, and engagement with robotics activities. Data were collected through Wenjuanxing, an online platform, using a structured questionnaire comprising four sections: demographic information, the Cognitive Development Scale (CDS), the Problem‐Solving Inventory (PSI), and the Robotics Engagement and Attitudes Questionnaire (REAQ). After data cleaning, analyses were conducted using SPSS (version 27) for descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression, and AMOS (version 24) for structural equation modelling (SEM). Results indicated a significant positive correlation among cognitive development, problem‐solving skills, and robotics engagement ( r = 0.52–0.68, p < 0.001). Cognitive development emerged as a moderate to strong predictor of robotics engagement (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), while problem‐solving skills also served as a strong predictor (β = 0.51, p < 0.001). Together, these variables explained a substantial proportion of variance in robotics engagement (adjusted R 2 = 0.56). SEM analyses further revealed that problem‐solving skills partially mediated the relationship between cognitive development and robotics engagement (indirect effect = 0.24, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the value of robotics‐based education, providing practical guidance for instructors and curriculum designers to create learning experiences that foster higher‐order thinking and strategic problem‐solving, thereby enhancing technology‐enhanced educational outcomes in higher education.