Engagement and creative self-efficacy in preservice teachers: The mediating role of cognitive reappraisal

Student engagement is a crucial determinant of both academic achievement and personal development. The use of cognitive reappraisal to regulate emotions is considered a highly effective way of improving affect and relationships as well as engagement. One of the aims of the present study was to examine the extent to which student engagement predicts the use of cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy. We also analyse whether engagement is positively associated with creative self-efficacy, an important trait for students' future professional development, and whether this relationship is mediated by cognitive reappraisal. Participants consisted of 604 preservice teachers (60.1% female, 30.8% male, 0.7% non-binary, 8.4% not disclosed) aged between 18 and 29 years (M = 20.67, SD = 1.64) and enrolled in a university in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Students with higher levels of engagement, both behavioural and affective, scored higher on cognitive reappraisal and creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that affective engagement had an indirect effect on creative self-efficacy via cognitive reappraisal. Initiatives to promote engagement and enhance creative self-efficacy through greater use of cognitive reappraisal are essential to ensure that preservice teachers develop the requisite skills to deal effectively with the demands of the profession.