Analysis of the Implementation of Problem-Based Gamified Quizzes in Coding and AI Learning to Strengthen High School Students Computational Thinking Skills

The development of Computational Thinking Skills (CTS) is increasingly important in Coding and Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning; however, students’ CTS remains influenced by multiple interrelated learning factors. Previous studies have generally examined these factors separately, leaving limited evidence on their integration within a single model in the context of Coding and AI learning at the high school level. This study contributes a novel integrated model that examines digital literacy, learning motivation, self-efficacy, and cognitive engagement in relation to students’ CTS through the implementation of problem-based gamified quizzes in Coding and AI learning. This study employed a quantitative approach with an associative research design. Data were collected from 151 tenth-grade students at SMA Pertiwi 1 Padang using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS 3. The results showed that digital literacy had a positive and significant effect on CTS (β = 0.475, t = 3.838, p < 0.001), while learning motivation also had a positive and significant effect on CTS (β = 0.340, t = 2.967, p = 0.003). Digital literacy significantly affected self-efficacy (β = 0.509, t = 6.190, p < 0.001) and cognitive engagement (β = 0.508, t = 3.612, p < 0.001), while learning motivation significantly affected self-efficacy (β = 0.395, t = 4.681, p < 0.001) and cognitive engagement (β = 0.359, t = 2.695, p = 0.007). Self-efficacy did not significantly affect CTS (β = 0.109, t = 1.278, p = 0.201), whereas cognitive engagement had the strongest positive effect on CTS (β = 0.826, t = 11.066, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that strengthening CTS in Coding and AI learning requires not only adequate digital literacy and learning motivation but also active cognitive engagement. Problem-based gamified quizzes can therefore provide a learning context that encourages students to actively understand concepts, analyze problems, and develop computational thinking