Network Analysis of Psychological Empowerment, Need for Cognition, and Academic Self-Efficacy among Graduate Students.

Abstract

The present study employed network analysis to explore the interrelationships between academic self-efficacy, psychological empowerment, and the need for knowledge at the symptom level among graduate students. Three hundred fifty-three graduate students from King Faisal University, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia (63.5% male, 72.2% in the 25-35 age range) completed the Psychological Empowerment Scale, Need for Cognition Scale (NCS), and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale as self-report measures. Different R-Studio programming software packages, such as "graph," "network tools," and "botnet," were used to analyze the current study's data. The most central node on the network analysis was Self.2 (history of success/failure), with the greatest betweenness (2.18), closeness (1.84), and strength (1.86). This node showed that it was essential for connecting other variables, despite having an expected negative effect (-0.37). Then there was also Psy.4 (impact), which showed a high centrality of betweenness 1.13 and closeness 1.29. Indeed, positive edges for Self.2 (previous successes/failures) and MB (Need for Cognition) (edge weight 0.37) clearly showed that good past experiences increased cognitive activity. A Bridge Betweenness of 10 was the most significant bridge node (Self.4 (university behavior) in the bridge analysis), linking network elements. Bootstrapped confidence intervals proved that these connections remained stable, ensuring the network was robust over resamples. Enhancing graduate students' self-efficacy and psychological empowerment, particularly through positive past experiences, could improve their academic performance and cognitive engagement. Future research should explore the implications of these findings for designing interventions to foster academic success.