ABSTRACT

Purpose: Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) must be strengthened to improve student quality, enabling them to compete in the Industrial 4.0 era. This study aimed to develop a feasible learning tool to enhance students' HOTS, assessed based on its validity, practicality, and effectiveness. Methods: The study employed developmental research using the ADDIE model, (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). The population comprised all 8th-grade students at Ngemplak State Junior High School 1, with a sample of 32 students each drawn from Classes E and F. Research instruments included product validation sheets, a practicality sheet, and HOTS test items. Validation sheet analysis used standard deviation, while the product's effectiveness was evaluated using the General Linear Models (GLM) test. Results: The results indicate that Realistic mathematics education (RME) -based learning tools are feasible for enhancing students' HOTS. There are differences in pretest-posttest scores (significance value <0.05), and the Pair-wise Comparison test results demonstrate an increase in pretest-posttest scores for HOTS within each research group. Therefore, it can be observed that in both research groups, differences and increases in pretest-posttest scores are attributed to the instructional intervention. However, the multivariate statistics reveal a partial eta square of 0.852 in the experimental group. This indicates that the RME material contributes to an 85% enhancement in students' HOTS, whereas, by comparison, the HOTS enhancement in the control group reaches 56% (partial eta square score=0.561). Implications for research and practice: Consequently, it is evident that RME-based learning tools exhibit a greater degree of effectiveness compared to conventional instructional methods. The limitations of research are (1) changes in the activities time because the students' ability levels are very diverse. (2) The implementation of the trial is still not free from the possibility of bias. Finally, this study suggests that RME could serve as an effective alternative for enhancing students' higher order thinking skills (HOTS).