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The logic of success: the relation between complex problem-solving skills and university achievement

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Abstract

The successful completion of a university degree program is accompanied by multiple complex opportunities and challenges, which require students to react accordingly with the skills necessary to meet them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of complex-problem solving (CPS) skills in undergraduate students’ university success in two independent samples. In Study 1, 165 university students completed a measure of intelligence as well as a measure of CPS. In addition, students’ university grade point averages (GPAs) and their subjective evaluation of academic success were collected. CPS made a significant contribution to the explanation of GPAs and the subjective success evaluations even when controlling for intelligence. To further investigate this effect, Study 2 relied on an independent and more heterogeneous sample of 216 university students. The findings of Study 1 were essentially replicated in Study 2. Thus, the combined results demonstrate a link between individual differences in CPS and the abilities necessary to be academically successful in university education.

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Funding

This research was funded by grants of the Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg (ATTRACT “ASKI21”; AFR “COPUS”).

The contribution of the third author was supported by the German funds “Bund-Länder-Programm für bessere Studienbedingungen und mehr Qualität in der Lehre (‘Qualitätspakt Lehre’)” [the joint program of the federal government and states for better study conditions and the quality of teaching in higher education (“the Teaching Quality Pact”)] at Saarland University (funding code 01PL11012). The concept and content of this manuscript was developed by the authors independently of this funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Luxembourg, ECCS, Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, 4366, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

    Matthias Stadler, Christoph Niepel & Samuel Greiff

  2. Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Nicolas Becker, Johannes Schult, Frank M. Spinath & Jörn R. Sparfeldt

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  1. Matthias Stadler
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  2. Nicolas Becker
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  3. Johannes Schult
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  4. Christoph Niepel
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  5. Frank M. Spinath
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  6. Jörn R. Sparfeldt
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  7. Samuel Greiff
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Correspondence to Matthias Stadler.

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Stadler, M., Becker, N., Schult, J. et al. The logic of success: the relation between complex problem-solving skills and university achievement. High Educ 76, 1–15 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0189-y

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