Resilience and academic performance in mathematics and science among middle school students: The mediating role of computational thinking

Psychological resilience has increasingly been recognized as a key factor associated with students' academic performance, especially in demanding disciplines such as mathematics and science. However, limited research has examined the potential cognitive pathways associated with psychological resilience and academic achievement, particularly in subjects such as mathematics and science that require higher-order thinking skills. This cross-sectional and correlational study examined the indirect associations between psychological resilience, computational thinking (CT), and academic achievement in mathematics and science among middle school students. Data were collected from 401 middle school students in Türkiye. Psychological resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale, CT was assessed via a 25-item multiple-choice test, and achievement scores in mathematics and science were obtained from official school records. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted using SPSS 28, while mediation analyses were performed in Mplus 8.1. Rasch analysis was applied to evaluate the psychometric properties of the CT instrument. Correlation results revealed significant positive associations among all main variables. Mediation analyses showed statistically significant indirect associations of psychological resilience with mathematics achievement through CT (β = .070, 95% CI [.036,.110]) and with science achievement through CT (β = .064, 95% CI [.026,.102]). After accounting for CT, the direct association between psychological resilience and mathematics achievement became nonsignificant, whereas the direct association with science achievement remained significant. The path model demonstrated an excellent fit. Overall, the findings suggest that CT may be statistically involved in the association between psychological resilience and academic achievement in mathematics and science; however, the cross-sectional design does not permit conclusions regarding temporal or causal mediation.