Bridging the Digital Divide: The Mediating Role of Learning Engagement between Technology Usage Approaches and Higher Order Thinking Skills in a Technology-Enhanced Inquiry-Based Learning Environment
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| Title: | Bridging the Digital Divide: The Mediating Role of Learning Engagement between Technology Usage Approaches and Higher Order Thinking Skills in a Technology-Enhanced Inquiry-Based Learning Environment |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Kaili Lu, Tongling Ji, Feng Lu, Rustam Shadiev (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Technology Research and Development. 2025 73(5):2929-2949. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Learner Engagement, Access to Computers, Disadvantaged, Technology Uses in Education, Thinking Skills, Cognitive Processes, Inquiry, Mediation Theory |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11423-025-10533-7 |
| ISSN: | 1042-1629 1556-6501 |
| Abstract: | The integration of technology in the learning landscape has precipitated the need to understand its relationship with students' cognitive processes. However, there is a gap in understanding how learning engagement interacts with two approaches to using technology and how these, in turn, impact higher order thinking skills (HOTS). This study aimed to explore the mediating role of learning engagement between approaches to using technology and HOTS within the technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning (T-IBL) framework. Data were collected from a sample of 160 college students experienced in T-IBL environments. Structural equation modeling was used to analyse the relationship between these key variables. The results showed that students' deep approach to using technologies had direct and significant positive impacts on learning engagement and HOTS. While students' surface approach to using technologies had direct negative influences on learning engagement and HOTS, they were not significant. What is more, learning engagement had direct and significant positive impacts on HOTS. In other words, learning engagement act as a mediator between students' deep approach to using technologies and HOTS, but not between surface approach and HOTS. This research fills an existing gap by elucidating the intricate relationship between technology use, engagement, and cognitive processes in a T-IBL setting. The findings underscore the importance of fostering deeper engagement and mindful technology use to enhance HOTS in learners, offering invaluable insights for educators and curriculum developers in the digital age. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1497657 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The integration of technology in the learning landscape has precipitated the need to understand its relationship with students' cognitive processes. However, there is a gap in understanding how learning engagement interacts with two approaches to using technology and how these, in turn, impact higher order thinking skills (HOTS). This study aimed to explore the mediating role of learning engagement between approaches to using technology and HOTS within the technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning (T-IBL) framework. Data were collected from a sample of 160 college students experienced in T-IBL environments. Structural equation modeling was used to analyse the relationship between these key variables. The results showed that students' deep approach to using technologies had direct and significant positive impacts on learning engagement and HOTS. While students' surface approach to using technologies had direct negative influences on learning engagement and HOTS, they were not significant. What is more, learning engagement had direct and significant positive impacts on HOTS. In other words, learning engagement act as a mediator between students' deep approach to using technologies and HOTS, but not between surface approach and HOTS. This research fills an existing gap by elucidating the intricate relationship between technology use, engagement, and cognitive processes in a T-IBL setting. The findings underscore the importance of fostering deeper engagement and mindful technology use to enhance HOTS in learners, offering invaluable insights for educators and curriculum developers in the digital age. |
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| ISSN: | 1042-1629 1556-6501 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11423-025-10533-7 |
