Determining the Influence of Cultural Values on Promotion of Higher Order Thinking Skills in Technology Enhanced Learning Environment

Abstract

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) is a way of thinking that moves beyond memorization of facts to higher level thinking such as synthesis, analysis and evaluation. Mastering HOTS is important for students to excel in their education and real-life. Many factors are believed to promote HOTS among students. One such endeavour is integrating Information and Communication Tools (ICT) in teaching and learning activities. ICT is believed to enhance students’ performance and higher-level thinking. It is understood that culture plays an important role in determining an individual’s decision to adopt ICT to promote HOTS. The influence of cultural factor is more crucial to students from multinational countries such as Malaysia. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of students’ perceived culture (collectivism and uncertainty avoidance) and attitudes towards technology use on the promotion of HOTS in ICT integrated mathematics classes in higher education contexts. A total of 250 mathematics students from 3 local public universities in Malaysia participated in this study. Structural equation modelling revealed that students HOTS is significantly influence by attitudes towards technology use. Uncertainty avoidance strongly influence attitude towards technology use. However, collectivism is not a strong predictor of attitude towards technology use. The practical implications of the study are discussed.