Metacognition and Academic Engagement: The Mediating Ruthole of Critical Thinking Disposition in University Students

This study examined the relationships linking metacognitive strategies with academic engagement, analyzing the mediating role of critical thinking disposition. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, a representative sample of 1,195 university students in Trujillo, Peru, was evaluated. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with the Unweighted Least Squares (ULS) estimator revealed that metacognitive strategies directly influence critical thinking disposition (β = .76), which mediates its effect on academic engagement (β = .21), while metacognition also maintains a direct effect on engagement (β = .51). The final model showed an outstanding fit (GFI = .987; SRMR = .047) and explained 47.0% of the variance in engagement and 65.1% in critical thinking disposition, suggesting that university learning quality depends on transforming cognitive technique into a willingness to learn with meaning and purpose.