The mediating role of critical thinking and cooperativity in the 21st century skills of higher education students

•Three models were put forward to clearly show the mediating relationships.•Algorithmic thinking, creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy and effective communication predicted the problem-solving skill significantly in model 1.•In model 2, cooperativity was seen to be a mediating variable between effective communication and critical thinking.•In model 3, it was seen that cooperativity, creative thinking, digital literacy and algorithmic thinking predicted the problem-solving skills through critical thinking at a stronger level.•Critical thinking has a mediating role between the skills addressed in the study and the problem-solving skill. This study investigates whether cooperativity and critical thinking mediate the relationship between other 21st century skills (algorithmic thinking, creativity, digital literacy, and effective communication) and problem-solving. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis was used to determine the mediating relationship between 21st century skills. The study participants were 714 undergraduate students from various regions of Turkey selected through purposive sampling and who participated on a voluntary basis. Computational thinking, effective communication, and digital literacy scales were used and a significant correlation was found between all the 21st century skills. A series of structural equation models were tested. The final model suggests that, in line with predictions, critical thinking mediates the relationship between the 21st century skills of cooperativity, digital literacy, creativity, algorithmic thinking, and problem solving. However, somewhat different from predictions is the finding that communication skills directly predict problem solving without further mediation. Thus, overall, the findings indicate that critical thinking has a crucial mediating role between other 21st century skills and problem solving.