Science identity and critical thinking in primary school students: Serial mediating role of epistemic curiosity and need for cognition

Science identity is the individual’s perception of them as a scientist and the perception of others as scientists. A strong science identity can foster epistemic curiosity related to the need to learn. Epistemic curiosity and the need for cognition may also be related to critical thinking. In this context, the study examined whether science identity relates to critical thinking and whether epistemic curiosity and the need for cognition mediate this connection. The study was conducted in a Turkish sample, and 828 primary school students participated (Mage = 9.86; SD = 0.62). Structural equation modeling assessed the relationships between science identities, epistemic curiosity, need for cognition, and critical thinking. The results showed that science identity positively predicted critical thinking both directly and indirectly (through epistemic curiosity and the need for cognition). However, the need for cognition did not play a significant role alone; it was in combination with epistemic curiosity. This suggests that science identity and epistemic processes are effective in developing critical thinking.