Preparing educators for a VUCA world : updating pre-service and in-service training for complex educational environments

Abstract

Educators are vital assets to society, playing a crucial role in delivering quality education and creating environments where students feel secure and intellectually engaged. However, educators face increasing challenges, especially in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. This study explores how critical thinking disposition, hope, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced educators' belief in their creative problem-solving abilities. Results from a study conducted with educators show that a strong critical thinking disposition is positively linked to creative self-efficacy, while stress negatively affects this self-perception. Additionally, the study identifies demographic and professional variations in creative self-efficacy among Maltese educators, with younger educators and those working at higher education levels (especially tertiary institutions) demonstrating higher levels of this trait. Moreover, institutional roles shaped creative self-efficacy differently.