Mediation of Scientific Thinking on the Relationship Between Computational Thinking and Learning Performance for High-Performing Learners in Mathematics

Mathematics should provide space for learners to think, frame mathematics problems, formulate hypotheses, and reflect on mathematical explanations. It is logical to suggest that computational thinking and scientific thinking have an impact on learners’ learning performance. Hence, the focus of the study was to determine whether there is an association between computational thinking and scientific thinking in mathematics, and whether scientific thinking mediates the relationship between computational thinking and learning performance. Thirty-eight high-performing secondary learners participated in the study. The regression analysis revealed the following results: first, computational thinking has a significant effect on learners’ mathematics performance. Second, scientific thinking has a significant impact on learners’ mathematics performance. Third, scientific thinking mediates the relationship between computational thinking and learners’ learning performance. Therefore, computational thinking skills should include mathematical and scientific thinking to improve learning performance in mathematics.