Bridging Cognitive Skills and Environmental Awareness: Critical and Creative Thinking as Predictors of Digital Ecoliteracy

Saberina Hasibuan^1*Yustina Yustina²Resma Wahyuni²

• ¹Government Studies Department Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia
• ²Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Digital ecoliteracy, the ability to access, critically evaluate, and apply environmental information through digital platforms has emerged as a critical competency for addressing 21st-century sustainability challenges. This study investigates how critical and creative thinking predict digital ecoliteracy among Indonesian university students across two independent samples (N = 45, N = 60). Pearson and Spearman correlations revealed that critical thinking demonstrates strong positive associations with digital ecoliteracy (r = 0.717–0.755, p < .01), while creative thinking shows moderate to strong correlations (r = 0.233–0.709, p < .05–.01). Multiple regression analyses confirmed both cognitive skills significantly predict digital ecoliteracy, jointly explaining 72–75% of variance (Sample 1: R² = .721, β = .689 for critical, β = .394 for creative; Sample 2: R² = .750, β = .457 for critical, β = .592 for creative; p < .001). These substantial effect sizes indicate that fostering higher-order cognitive skills represents a robust pathway for enhancing sustainability-oriented digital competencies. Findings align with UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development and OECD's Learning Framework 2030, highlighting educators' pivotal mediating role in translating cognitive abilities into digital ecological engagement. The study provides actionable recommendations for educators, students, institutions, and researchers, while acknowledging methodological limitations of quantitative-only approaches and recommending mixed-methods designs for exploring causal mechanisms underlying these relationships.