M. Rais Salim, Dawud, Imam Agus Basuki, Nursalam, Julia Ismail
The thinking style of Generation Z students influences the way they compose argumentative texts in response to the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of cyberbullying in the digital age. This study aims to explore and describe the forms of thinking styles demonstrated by Generation Z students through their argumentative writings that address issues of cyberbullying. Employing a qualitative design with an exploratory descriptive approach, the research involved 50 students as respondents. The data consisted of argumentative texts written by students, which were analyzed based on Sternberg's typology of thinking styles, including hierarchical, monarchical, oligarchic, and anarchic types. The results revealed that students predominantly exhibit a hierarchical thinking style when articulating opinions about the impact of technological development on cyberbullying behavior. This style is reflected in their ability to organize ideas logically and prioritize arguments according to levels of importance. The monarchical thinking style, on the other hand, emphasizes the pursuit of a single goal or solution, often neglecting broader social or legal implications. Meanwhile, the oligarchic thinking style portrays cyberbullying as a multifaceted issue that requires the cooperation of various stakeholders, such as educators, parents, and policymakers. Conversely, the anarchic thinking style reflects a fragmented or inconsistent reasoning pattern, indicating difficulties in constructing coherent arguments due to the absence of an integrated conceptual framework. The findings of this study offer practical implications for educational institutions to design cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies aligned with students' cognitive characteristics. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of integrating argumentative writing instruction with contemporary social issues to enhance students' digital literacy, ethical awareness, and social responsibility in online interactions. By understanding thinking styles, educators can foster more critical, empathetic, and reflective learning experiences for Generation Z students. © 2025 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Department of Indonesian Language Education, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, East Java, Indonesia; Physical Education Study Program, Faculty of Education, Universitas Bumi Hijrah, Tidore, Indonesia
