Indirect effect, direct effect and total effect.

University STEM education is vital for cultivating innovative talents but is hindered by a lack of lecturers skilled in interdisciplinary teaching. Research on the interplay between psychological capital (PsyCap), competency in interdisciplinary teaching (CIT), and self-directed learning (SDL) is limited. This study investigates a mediation model, exploring PsyCap’s role between SDL and CIT among 427 Chinese STEM lecturers using proportional stratified random sampling and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that SDL had a significant direct effect on CIT (β = 0.210, t = 4.429, p