Creative thinking dispositions among university students: A path analysis of technological and innovative factors

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of online information searching strategies, digital literacy, and innovative thinking skills on university students’ creative thinking dispositions. A structural equation model has been developed to explore the structural relationships among these variables. In this causal research, the analysis focuses on cause-effect relationships between variables that have either emerged or already exist within the given context. Data were collected from 815 students across various Turkish universities through an online Google Form. 815 students from various Turkish universities participated via online Google form. As for the data collection tools, university students were administered the Marmara Creative Thinking Scale, the Online Information Search Strategies Scale, the Digital Literacy Scale, and The Innovative Thinking Skills Scale. According to the results of the study, the constructed model explains creative thinking dispositions at a level of 61%. The findings indicate that digital literacy levels positively influence online information searching strategies and innovative thinking levels. However, it is observed that digital literacy levels do not directly impact creative thinking dispositions; instead, they have an indirect effect. Thus, it is inferred that enhancement in students’ online information search strategies and innovative thinking levels coincides with an elevation in their creative thinking dispositions.