The Department of Mathematics at the College of Education for Pure Sciences – Ibn Al-Haitham, University of Baghdad, discussed the Master’s thesis entitled: “The Relationship of Reflective Thinking and Deep Understanding to Perceived Self-Efficacy among Mathematics Department Students in Colleges of Education”
The thesis was submitted by Salman Saddam Saeed Al-Suwaidi under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ilham Jabbar Fares. The discussion committee consisted of Prof. Dr. Hassan Kamel Rasan, Chair; Asst. Prof. Dr. Layla Khalid Khudair, Member; Lect. Dr. Maysoun Kamal Jalal, Member; and Prof. Dr. Ilham Jabbar Fares, Member and Supervisor.
The study aimed to investigate the correlational relationships among reflective thinking, deep understanding, and perceived self-efficacy among students of Mathematics Departments in the College of Education at Al-Mustansiriyah University and the College of Education for Pure Sciences – Ibn Al-Haitham at the University of Baghdad. It also sought to determine the predictive contribution of reflective thinking and deep understanding to perceived self-efficacy and to examine differences in these variables according to gender.
The researcher adopted a descriptive correlational research design in accordance with the nature and objectives of the study. The research population consisted of 2,075 male and female students enrolled in Mathematics Departments at the two colleges during the 2025–2026 academic year. The selected sample comprised 329 third-year students, while the final basic sample consisted of 215 students after excluding participants involved in the pilot administration, absentees, and cases with incomplete data.
To achieve the study objectives, the researcher developed three principal research instruments: a Reflective Thinking Test, a Deep Understanding Test, and a Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale. Their psychometric properties, including validity, construct validity, and reliability, were examined using appropriate statistical procedures, confirming their suitability and reliability for the final administration.
The collected data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The statistical procedures included the one-sample t-test, independent-samples t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis.
The findings indicated that Mathematics Department students demonstrated a good level of reflective thinking and deep understanding, exceeding the theoretical mean, whereas their level of perceived self-efficacy was moderate. The results also revealed no statistically significant differences attributable to gender in reflective thinking, deep understanding, or perceived self-efficacy.
Furthermore, the study identified strong, positive, and statistically significant correlations among the three research variables. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that reflective thinking and deep understanding jointly constituted strong and statistically significant predictors of perceived self-efficacy, accounting for 45.8% of the total variance in students’ perceived self-efficacy. Reflective thinking emerged as the strongest predictor.
The study concluded that higher-order cognitive abilities play a significant role in shaping students’ beliefs about their academic competence and their ability to deal with mathematical situations and challenging coursework. The findings highlight the importance of educational practices that integrate reflective thinking, deep understanding, and the development of students’ confidence in their academic and mathematical abilities.
The study recommended sustaining and enhancing students’ positive levels of reflective thinking and deep understanding through enriched mathematics curricula incorporating advanced mathematical activities, applications, and real-life contexts. It also recommended employing modern instructional strategies, including PDEODE, PQ4R, and TPACK, and developing university assessment practices through the adoption of authentic and contextualized assessments that measure deep understanding, logical connections, and students’ ability to justify mathematical solutions. In addition, the study emphasized strengthening the practical integration between pure mathematics courses and mathematics teaching-methodology courses within Colleges of Education.
The study contributes to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
SDG 4 – Quality Education: by supporting the improvement of higher education quality and fostering higher-order thinking and deep understanding among university students.
SDG 5 – Gender Equality: by examining gender-related differences and investigating whether male and female students demonstrate comparable levels across the cognitive and affective variables studied.
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: indirectly, by contributing to the preparation of future educators equipped with advanced cognitive skills and academic self-confidence that can enhance their readiness for professional practice and the labor market.
This research reflects the Department of Mathematics’ and the College of Education for Pure Sciences – Ibn Al-Haitham’s ongoing commitment to advancing educational research, improving the quality of teacher preparation, and promoting evidence-based educational practices.
