Abstract
From the study’s qualitative analysis, 5 latent variables and 21 observed variables concerning complex problem-solving (CPS) skills were identified and subsequently used in a questionnaire on a sample of 214 Thai education professionals teaching information and communication technology (ICT)-related student teachers in one of 31 Thai Rajabhat (teaching) Universities. Goodness-of-fit and descriptive statistical analysis (mean and standard deviation) were analysed by using IBM® Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® for Windows version 21, while the second-order confirmatory factor analysis used LISREL 9.10. The results revealed that the educators perceived information literacy (1.00), analytical thinking (0.96), self-control (0.93), knowledge application (0.90) and planning ability (0.85) as the most important for the student teachers’ CPS skills. Moreover, the results revealed that each teacher’s opinion on CPS skill indicators was at a ‘high agreement’ level. Therefore, it suggested that the results can be used by Thailand’s Ministry of Education and other ICT-related education agencies in developing CPS skill programmes for Thai student teachers.
 
 
 Keywords: CPS, ICT, Information literacy, preservice teachers, Thailand
Highlights
Success in the 21st century requires a multitude of competencies
The results revealed that the educators perceived information literacy (1.00), analytical thinking (0.96), self-control (0.93), knowledge application (0.90) and planning ability (0.85) as the most important for the student teachers’ complex problemsolving (CPS) skills
The majority or 44.86% were 36–45 years of age, with an almost equal distribution of master’s degrees (51.87%) to Ph.Ds (48.13%). In spite of their attainment of advanced degrees, 70.56% still were classified as ‘teachers’ only, with 28.97% assistant professors and only 1 individual indicting they had obtained the rank of associate professor
Summary
Success in the 21st century requires a multitude of competencies. These include creativity, critical thinking (CT), lifelong learning and collaboration skills (Griffin & Care, 2015). Other scholars for over four decades have pointed out the central importance at being able to solve complex problems (Funke, 2010; Mainzer, 2009), with the Nobel Prize winning author Simon being an earlier discussant of the need for humans to conceptualise and solve complex problems (Mintrom, 2015). Delegates of the World Economic Forum (2015) have concluded that complex problemsolving (CPS) is one of the most important competencies required for the future of humanity. Eichmann et al (2019) has added that CPS is a highly transversal competence needed for vocational and educational environments as well as everyday life In Germany, Dorner and Funke (2017) have added that individual psychological processes that occur within individual persons and deal with ill-defined complex problems come under the authors’ definition as ‘CPS’. Eichmann et al (2019) has added that CPS is a highly transversal competence needed for vocational and educational environments as well as everyday life
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