<![CDATA[This study was motivated by students' low interest in history lessons, the limited use of innovative instructional media, and the suboptimal development of higher-order thinking skills during the learning process. The study aimed to develop digital comic media incorporating Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) for the topic of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, to determine the media's validity and practicality, and to analyze its effectiveness regarding student learning outcomes. A Research and Development (R&D) approach was employed using the ADDIE model, comprising the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation stages. The research subjects included subject matter experts, media experts, history teachers, and Grade XI students at SMA Negeri 1 Blahbatuh. Data were collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires, and learning outcome tests, and were analyzed using both descriptive qualitative and quantitative methods. The results indicated that the HOTS-based digital comic media fell into the "highly valid" category based on assessments by subject matter experts, media experts, and instructional practitioners. Practicality tests showed the media to be "highly practical" based on student responses. Effectiveness tests demonstrated that using the media improved student learning outcomes and resulted in a significant difference in outcomes between the experimental and control classes. Thus, the HOTS-based digital comic media is deemed valid, practical, and effective for use in history instruction regarding the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence.]]>
