<![CDATA[This study aimed to examine the differences in the effects of guided inquiry learning using laboratory experiments, guided inquiry learning using virtual experiments, and conventional learning on students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). A quasi-experimental method with a one-way non-equivalent pretest–posttest control group design was employed. The study population consisted of five Grade 11 science classes at SMA Negeri 2 Singaraja. A sample of three classes comprising 120 students was selected using cluster random sampling. Students’ HOTS were measured using a 10-item essay test. The instrument demonstrated acceptable item validity, with item-total correlation coefficients ranging from 0.31 to 0.62, and high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.845). Students’ initial HOTS scores were treated as the covariate. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), followed by the Least Significant Difference (LSD) post hoc test. Statistical significance was determined at the 5% level. The results showed significant differences among the three instructional approaches in terms of students’ HOTS (F = 68.173, p < 0.05). The LSD test indicated that guided inquiry learning using laboratory experiments produced significantly higher HOTS than guided inquiry learning using virtual experiments and conventional learning. These findings suggest that integrating laboratory experiments into guided inquiry learning is more effective in enhancing students’ higher-order thinking skills in physics than virtual experiments or conventional instruction.]]>
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