Perceived competency in complex thinking skills among university community members in Pakistan: insights across disciplines

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate university community members’ (faculty members and students, in this case) perceptions of their complex thinking competency and its sub-competencies – including systemic, scientific, critical, and innovative thinking – across various disciplines at eight universities in Pakistan (Objective). Using a validated eComplexity instrument, descriptive statistical analysis of means and standard deviations, a Kruskal–Wallis test, a correlation matrix, and a correlation coefficient heatmap of complex thinking were applied to uncover key patterns and disparities (Methodology). The novelty of this study lies in its focus on how participants perceive their achievement of complex thinking competencies, offering unique insights into the specific challenges faced by different academic disciplines (Novelty). Notably, Humanities and Education profiles reported considerably low levels of competency (mean of 2.39), with statistically significant differences regarding knowledge of research report structures (scientific thinking) and interdisciplinary problem-solving and contextual analysis (innovative thinking) (Results). However, the study’s geographic context and reliance on self-perceived competencies pose limitations, potentially introducing social desirability bias (Limitations). These findings emphasise the need to adapt teaching methods to bridge competency gaps and promote equitable skill development (Conclusions). Future research should extend the study to broader educational contexts to explore regional and international variations, and assess interventions to enhance competencies in underperforming areas – particularly Humanities and Education – improving discipline performance and confidence in complex thinking (Implications).