Cognitive Representation Efficiency as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Epistemological Beliefs and Emotional Information Processing Among Academically At-Risk First-Year Secondary School Students

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among epistemological beliefs, cognitive representation efficiency, and emotional information processing, and investigated the mediating role of cognitive representation efficiency in the relationship between epistemological beliefs and emotional information processing among academically at-risk first-year secondary school students. A descriptive correlational design was employed with a sample of (75) students in Riyadh who were identified as academically at risk according to the criteria adopted in the study. Data were collected using the Epistemological Beliefs Scale (developed by Qabil, 2026), the Cognitive Representation Efficiency Scale (developed by Al-Zayat, 2001), and the Emotional Information Processing Scale (developed by Baker et al., 2007; adapted into Arabic by Hamed, 2011). The results revealed significant correlations among the three variables. Epistemological beliefs had significant direct effects on both cognitive representation efficiency and emotional information processing, while cognitive representation efficiency had a significant direct effect on emotional information processing. A significant indirect effect of epistemological beliefs on emotional information processing through cognitive representation efficiency was also found, supporting its mediating role in this relationship. These findings highlight cognitive representation efficiency as a cognitive mechanism that may help explain the relationship between epistemological beliefs and emotional information processing among academically at-risk students.