The Malaysian Digital Classroom Experiment: Quantifying the FF21A Module’s Impact on Higher-Order Thinking

The 21st century has witnessed astonishing transformation in the way the world functions, especially regarding the integration of technology in the educational landscape. Hence, in keeping with the goal of developing a highly educated populace, the educational system is currently under immense pressure to adapt to the digital age, aiming to produce graduates who can excel not only academically but also in their personal lives, professional careers, and employment. Therefore, the 21st century learning environment is receiving attention to achieve the goals of developed nations in Malaysia. A quasi-experimental research design was performed to examine the effects of the 21 st century learning environment based on 21st Century Acculturation Module on 21st Century Skills and Academic Achievement (AA). The study included 120 form-four students who took Science subjects from secondary schools in Malaysia. Data analysis included means, standard deviations, independent sample T-test, and PLS-SEM. The result shows there were significant differences between the control group and the experimental group in terms of 21st Century Skills enhancement. Research findings also show a substantial difference in students AA between the experimental and control groups. The results gathered from PLS-SEM showed that the developed module moderates the Life and Career (LC) skills and AA relationships. It is evident that the module produced by the amalgamation of Dale’s Cone of Experiences and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Frameworks along with the use of technology in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) improved students’ 21st Century Skills, and the students also performed better in AA.