Spatial Acumen in the Digital Age: The Transformative Power of STEM-Enriched Mobile Textbooks in Geography

Abstract

Integrating technology into learning has become a pivotal necessity in the digital age. This underscores the imperative for educators, serving as facilitators, to organize and implement digital technology within instructional processes adeptly. Central to this application is educators’ perceptions of the utilization of mobile digital textbooks. Crucially, this study, rooted in a qualitative research design, sought to elucidate teachers’ perceptions regarding the employment of the Mobile Digital Textbook, integrated with a STEM approach, to enhance students’ spatial thinking and Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). Data collection was meticulously executed through semi-structured interviews involving fifteen geography educators from eight East Java, Indonesia, secondary institutions. With the aid of NVIVO software, the data were systematically organized and categorized based on pre-established criteria. The findings revealed a predominantly positive perception among the fifteen participants towards using the Mobile Digital Textbook with the STEM approach in fostering students’ spatial thinking and HOTS. The implications of this research underscore the significance of continuous training and support for educators in assimilating digital technology, particularly mobile digital textbooks, to elevate instructional quality and cultivate students’ advanced cognitive abilities.