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.
Abna Hidayati (2025) studied this question.