IJIET 2025 Vol.15(9): 1842-1852
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2025.15.9.2385
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2025.15.9.2385
Enhancing Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) through Student Engagement and Learning Support
Ganefri1, Abna Hidayati2,*, Hendra Hidayat3, Zadrian Ardi4,
Ulfia Rahmi2, Nofrion5, and
Andra Saputra6
1. Electrical Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
2. Curriculum and Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
3. Electronic Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
4. Guidance and Counseling, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
5. Geography Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
6. Craft Education, Institut Seni Indonesia Padangpanjang, Padang Panjang, Indonesia
Email: ganefri@unp.ac.id (G.); abnahidayati@fip.unp.ac.id (A.H.); hendra.hidayat@ft.unp.ac.id (H.H.); zadrian@fip.unp.ac.id (Z.A.); ulfia@fip.unp.ac.id (U.R.); nofrion@fis.unp.ac.id (N.); andrasaputra552@gmail.com (A.S.)
*Corresponding author
2. Curriculum and Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
3. Electronic Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
4. Guidance and Counseling, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
5. Geography Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
6. Craft Education, Institut Seni Indonesia Padangpanjang, Padang Panjang, Indonesia
Email: ganefri@unp.ac.id (G.); abnahidayati@fip.unp.ac.id (A.H.); hendra.hidayat@ft.unp.ac.id (H.H.); zadrian@fip.unp.ac.id (Z.A.); ulfia@fip.unp.ac.id (U.R.); nofrion@fis.unp.ac.id (N.); andrasaputra552@gmail.com (A.S.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received January 17, 2025; revised February 10, 2025; accepted March 17, 2025; published September 11, 2025
Abstract—This study analyzes the factors that influence the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) among Generation Z students in higher education. The focus of the study includes student engagement, learning readiness, self-management skills, digital literacy, academic flow, and learning facility support. Data were collected through a survey method on 850 undergraduate students from various regions in Indonesia. Analysis using structural equation modeling showed that student engagement contributed 35% to the increase in HOTS, while learning readiness contributed 29.8%. Digital literacy was also found to have a significant influence on learning performance with a path coefficient of 0.089. Academic flow has a strong relationship with learning performance (t-statistic = 39.971, p < 0.05), while learning facility support makes an important contribution to HOTS development with a t-statistic of 37.982 (p < 0.05). Overall, these factors explain 99.3% of the variance in learning performance and 98.9% of the variance in HOTS. This study emphasizes the importance of supporting facilities, innovative curriculum, and digital competence in supporting students’ cognitive development. However, this study has limitations related to geographical and cultural coverage, and has not considered socio-economic factors. These results underscore the need for learning strategies that are tailored to the educational needs of Generation Z in the digital era.
Keywords—higher order thinking skills, generation Z, student engagement, digital literacy, academic flow, learning facilities support
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Keywords—higher order thinking skills, generation Z, student engagement, digital literacy, academic flow, learning facilities support
Cite: Ganefri, Abna Hidayati, Hendra Hidayat, Zadrian Ardi, Ulfia Rahmi, Nofrion, and Andra Saputra, "Enhancing Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) through Student Engagement and Learning Support," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 1842-1852, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).