Octarina Hidayatus Sholikhah, Purwanto, Syamsul Hadi, Makbul Muksar
This study investigates the effect of numeracy on reflective thinking among prospective elementary school teachers, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of student leadership and digital information literacy. Using a quantitative approach with Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS), data were collected from 262 pre-service teacher education students. The results revealed that numeracy did not have a significant direct effect on reflective thinking. However, numeracy significantly influenced both student leadership and digital information literacy, which in turn positively affected reflective thinking. Two significant mediation paths were identified: numeracy through student leadership and numeracy through digital literacy, highlighting the indirect influence of numeracy. Furthermore, a three-way interaction showed that the combination of strong student leadership and high digital literacy significantly strengthened the impact of numeracy on reflective thinking. These findings support the integration of 21st-century skills— such as leadership and digital competence—into teacher education programs. The study contributes a novel conceptual model extending Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory and the TPACK framework, emphasizing the synergistic development of cognitive, social, and digital skills to foster professional reflection in teacher candidates. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
