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<p>Computational thinking (CT), as a cognitive process central to problem solving, has received increasing attention in recent years. The association between executive functions (EF) and CT has been widely documented; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain insufficiently understood. Moreover, most previous studies have treated CT as a unified construct, paying limited attention to its distinct components. Metacognition (MC), a higher-order cognitive capacity, has been theoretically and empirically linked to both EF and CT and may serve as a potential mechanism connecting them. Hence, we recruited 2,820 children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 who completed validated questionnaires assessing EF, MC, and CT. Results from network and mediation analyses revealed that (1) metacognitive monitoring mediated the relationship between EF and CT, whereas metacognitive knowledge was associated only with CT; (2) cognitive flexibility served as a key pathway through which working memory and inhibitory control were linked to CT; (3) abstraction, decomposition, and evaluation were more closely associated with cognitive flexibility; and (4) algorithmic thinking and generalization were more directly linked to working memory. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the cognitive architecture of CT and highlight metacognitive monitoring as a critical mechanism in the development of CT during adolescence.</p>

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Links between executive functions, metacognition, and computational thinking in adolescence: network and mediation approaches

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月2日

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  • Shengping Xue,
  • Aitao Lu,
  • Kaixu Zhu,
  • Wanyi Chen,
  • Yang Xu,
  • Lihong Ao,
  • Chunmei Li,
  • Kin Man Ho,
  • Thung Kwan

摘要

Computational thinking (CT), as a cognitive process central to problem solving, has received increasing attention in recent years. The association between executive functions (EF) and CT has been widely documented; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain insufficiently understood. Moreover, most previous studies have treated CT as a unified construct, paying limited attention to its distinct components. Metacognition (MC), a higher-order cognitive capacity, has been theoretically and empirically linked to both EF and CT and may serve as a potential mechanism connecting them. Hence, we recruited 2,820 children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 who completed validated questionnaires assessing EF, MC, and CT. Results from network and mediation analyses revealed that (1) metacognitive monitoring mediated the relationship between EF and CT, whereas metacognitive knowledge was associated only with CT; (2) cognitive flexibility served as a key pathway through which working memory and inhibitory control were linked to CT; (3) abstraction, decomposition, and evaluation were more closely associated with cognitive flexibility; and (4) algorithmic thinking and generalization were more directly linked to working memory. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of the cognitive architecture of CT and highlight metacognitive monitoring as a critical mechanism in the development of CT during adolescence.