THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL LITERACY AND DISASTER MITIGATION UNDERSTANDING ON COMPUTATIONAL AND SPATIAL THINKING ABILITY IN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Computational thinking and spatial thinking ability play a critical role in enabling students to respond effectively to disasters. However, limited research has examined the impact of digital literacy, disaster education, and cognitive skills in secondary school students. This study aims to assess the impact of digital literacy and disaster mitigation understanding on the development of computational and spatial thinking ability in upper secondary school students. A quantitative research approach was employed using Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the impact of the variables. The research participants in this study consisted of 258 students enrolled in two upper secondary schools, namely Public Senior High School 21 Makassar and Public Senior High School 4 Barru. Data were collected through questionnaires and performance-based tests. The results revealed that digital literacy positively impacted computational thinking and spatial thinking. Similarly, disaster mitigation understanding positively impacted computational thinking and spatial thinking. Moreover, computational thinking demonstrated a moderate positive impact on spatial thinking, indicating a strong interaction between these cognitive domains. These findings suggest that students with higher digital literacy and disaster knowledge exhibit stronger problem-solving and spatial reasoning skills, which are crucial for disaster preparedness and risk mitigation. Keywords: digital literacy, disaster mitigation understanding, computational thinking, spatial thinking, upper secondary school