Fostering Higher-Order Thinking Skills through Deep Learning in EFL Classrooms: A Teacher’s Perspective

The role of transformative learning in the development of higher-order thinking skills in junior high school students: a qualitative study

The development of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is an important agenda for 21st-century education, but pedagogical mechanisms explaining how HOTS develops in junior high school classroom practices, particularly in mathematics learning, are still limited. This qualitative study explores the role of transformative learning in mediating students' HOTS development through critical reflection, epistemic dialogue in the classroom, and the meaning of learning experiences. The study used an interpretative-constructivist paradigm with an instrumental qualitative case study design. Data were collected through learning observations of 77 students (grades VII = 27; VIII = 25; IX = 25), in-depth interviews with three teachers (G1-G3), semi-structured interviews with 15 students, and analysis of learning documents. Thematic-reflective analysis resulted in four themes: (1) the gradual and contextual development of HOTS across levels, (2) critical reflection as the main trigger for analysis and evaluation, (3) epistemic dialogue as a space for testing and assessing arguments, and (4) the transformation of learning orientation from a focus on answers to the quality of thinking processes and justification. The findings suggest that HOTS develops through a spiral trajectory influenced by the intensity of reflective scaffolding, norms of classroom dialogue, and a classroom culture that is safe for experimenting and revising reasoning. This study contributes by mapping the mechanisms of how and why transformative learning facilitates HOTS in a junior high school context while also offering practical implications for the design of sustainable reflective and dialogic learning.

Fostering Students' Critical Thinking Through Literature Circles in EFL Classrooms: A Contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 4

Barriers and breakthroughs in implementing higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) during teaching practicum: Experience of English pre-service teachers

Global challenges and 21st-century skills drive education to prioritize higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) over rote memorization. Educational reforms, including those in Indonesia, emphasize HOTS; however, their successful implementation depends on teachers' abilities. Pre-service teachers recognize the importance of HOTS but struggle to incorporate them into teaching. This study addresses a vital gap in the existing literature by exploring the experiences of six English language pre-service teachers at an Indonesian university who completed a five-month teaching practicum. Utilizing a narrative inquiry approach, the research sought to elucidate the educational experiences of these pre-service teachers and to offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of the pedagogical models employed. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, comprehensive and detailed accounts of personal and professional meaning-making processes were obtained. The findings indicated that the implementation of HOTS involves not only cognitive and technical challenges but also an emotional and identity-formation journey. While lecture notes in university courses help students catalogue theoretical concepts, they often encounter a disconnect between theory and classroom practice, leading to cognitive dissonance as they navigate multiple professional identities. Furthermore, pre-service teachers encountered significant systemic and linguistic constraints, notably students’ limited English vocabulary, strict time constraints, and an exam-oriented educational culture. They had devised strategies to address these challenges, including pedagogical adjustments such as shifting from generic textbook examples to localized, contextualized, and culturally relevant topics, as well as engaging in structured reflection on emotional challenges in collaboration with supportive mentor teachers. The insights gained from this research can inform teacher education programs in planning targeted interventions and methods and may prompt policy revisions aimed at producing graduates equipped with higher-order thinking skills. 

Exploring the Integration of the Domains of Learning into the TPACK Framework through Art-Based Pedagogy in School Level Education in Nepal

Instructional and pedagogical methods play a significant role in enhancing creativity, critical thinking, innovation and meaningful learning of students for developing the competencies needed for a competitive and globalized world. In the context of Nepal, the most practiced instructional pedagogy is traditional teacher-centered, unidirectional with rote memorization and standardized testing since long which are unable to promote the 21st century core skills that are essential for students to address and adjust in the digitally advanced and complex world. The main aim of this study is to explores the transformative learning by integrating the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning into the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. This research examines how these methodologies can bridge the gap between knowledgeable understanding and expressive engagement with meaningful skills by explicitly converging Art-Based Pedagogy and the STEAM approach along with these domains. This study primarily uses narrative inquiry to underpin how conventional instructional pedagogy in present context become worthless over transformative and modern instructional pedagogy in this contemporary situation of education system that observed in both private and government schools in Nepal. The key findings of this study indicate that the meaningful and effective integration of arts such as drama, drawing, poem and storytelling promotes the critical thinking, creativity, innovation and transformative and meaningful learnings of the students. Such integration promotes students’ participation, engagement, collaboration and critical reflection that is indeed of holistic development of the students. From this study, it is need of time to reimagine TPACK framework and integration of art-based methods under STEAM approach of learning. Such integration with spiritual intelligence empowers students to step beyond the just transmission of knowledge but leap into the meaningful, sustainable, and transformative learning experiences. This research contributes to the educational discourse by providing a comprehensive strategy for nurturing well-rounded individuals who are scholastically skillful, emotionally intellectual, and communally responsible.

Adapting Literature Circles to Foster Critical Thinking Skills in Indonesian EFL Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study toward SDG 4

From Policy to Pedagogy: English Teachers’ Lesson Planning and Classroom Enactment of Mindful, Meaningful, and Joyful Learning

This study investigates the implementation of Mindful, Meaningful, and Joyful Learning (MMJL) principles within the Merdeka Curriculum framework in English language teaching at SDN 01 Pijot Utara. The research subjects consisted of a sixth-grade English teacher who served as both the designer of the Teaching Module and the classroom practitioner, along with sixth-grade students as secondary participants. Adopting a qualitative descriptive case study design grounded in Policy Enactment theory, data were collected through document analysis of the Teaching Module and systematic classroom observations. The findings reveal that while the MMJL principles are thoroughly embedded in the macro-structural design of the Teaching Module and successfully enacted during foundational and receptive instructional phases, a significant divergence occurs during productive phases. Activities demanding student autonomy, such as independent writing, reflection, and collaborative summarization, were only partially enacted, largely due to a lack of anticipatory scaffolding in the written plan and the persistence of teacher-centered norms intended to manage classroom silence. The study concludes that although MMJL principles effectively support classroom management and emotional well-being, their potential to drive higher-order intellectual engagement remains constrained by the gap between policy intentions and classroom realities. Practically, this research contributes to curriculum development and teacher training by recommending that Teaching Modules evolve into dynamic pedagogical instruments, supplemented by anticipatory scaffolds and differentiated strategies, to bridge the distance between curriculum vision and practice.