THE EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CHARACTERISTICS ON SIMULATION-ENHANCED CRITICAL THINKING: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

Given the applied nature of business disciplines, simulations are useful in helping students bridge theory learned in the classroom and practical skills needed to succeed in industry. Much of the learning that occurs in simulations comes from working in teams as students work together to solve problems and defend their ideas. Thus, while marketing educators are often interested in optimizing both individual and team learning outcomes, many scholars have only focused on analysis at one level or the other. This research reports findings from a multilevel SEM (MSEM) model that simultaneously investigates individual and team learning outcomes on critical thinking in a marketing simulation across multiple sections of a Principles of Marketing course. Guided by attribution theory, the results suggest that the effect of team size upon simulation-enhanced critical thinking is fully and negatively mediated by objective team performance growth over the course of the game. Moreover, generalized self-efficacy is positively associated with students’ perceptions that participation in the simulation enhance critical thinking abilities. Finally, need-for-cognition negatively moderates the effect of self-efficacy upon simulation-enhanced critical thinking. The paper concludes with a discussion of study implications, limitations, and opportunities for future research