The Mediating Role of Metacognitive Thinking in the Relationship between Attributional Beliefs, Academic Buoyancy, Error-Management Mindset, and Mathematics Achievement

This study investigates the mediating role of metacognitive thinking in the relationships among students’ attributional beliefs, academic buoyancy, error-management mindset, and mathematics achievement. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed using a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 400 university students in Ghana. Structural equation modeling and a bias-corrected percentile bootstrapping method were conducted in Amos (v 23) to estimate the path coefficients. The findings show that these psychological factors, attributional beliefs, academic buoyancy, and error management mindset, positively and significantly influence mathematics achievement. Metacognitive thinking further mediates their collective effect on achievement. The study advances existing scholarship by addressing a key gap: prior research has examined attributional beliefs, academic buoyancy, and error management mindset separately, with limited work integrating them into a single model or exploring their combined effects through metacognitive thinking. Additionally, the educational implications of the findings suggest that university educators should promote adaptive attribution styles, resilience, and a constructive approach to errors among students.