Enablers of critical thinking in STEM education identified through ISM–MICMAC and fuzzy AHP from teachers’ perspectives

This study aims to systematically model the enablers shaping STEM teachers’ critical-thinking abilities (CTAs) by employing a hybrid FAHP–ISM–MICMAC framework. Following a rigorous stages screening process based on a comprehensive literature review and expert validation, 20 key enablers were identified. ISM was applied to establish hierarchical relationships, while MICMAC analysis classified them according to their driving and dependence power, and weighted them using FAHP to address ambiguity.

The conclusions reveal a complex impact: enablers demonstrate high perceived importance; the ISM hierarchy indicates that only the enabler “Effective Professional Approach” is considered extremely fundamental, further verified by a MICMAC analysis that classifies them into high-driving, low-dependence, which hold the entire system steady. FAHP analysis indicates that “Curriculum & Digitalization” has the most significant weight (0.3216). This study provides a systematic structure that helps the STEM education sector (STEMES) develop teacher professionals to strengthen CTAs, specifically in the Pakistani context.

International Education, College of International Cooperation, Xian International University (Project ID: XAIU202546). School of International Cooperation, Xian International University, Xi’an, 710061, China School of Business, Xian International University, Xian, 710061, China School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China School of Information Engineering, Xian Fanyi University, Xi’an, 710105, China The authors declare no competing interests. The questionnaire and methodology of the current research were approved by the concerned authorities.

The present research was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Xian International University, College of International Cooperation, and was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all study participants and academic experts included in the study. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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