Although the distribution of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in English language textbooks has received increasing scholarly attention, research specifically examining the cognitive profile of evaluation instruments across six language skills and Genre-Based Approach (GBA) stages in Merdeka Curriculum senior high school textbooks remains limited. This study aims to analyze the distribution of HOTS and Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) in the Grade XI English textbook English for Change and identify gaps in its alignment with 21st-century assessment needs. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed, involving 211 evaluation instruments selected through total sampling across five units and six language skills. Data were collected using a structured coding sheet and analyzed through descriptive quantitative frequency analysis, followed by descriptive interpretive content analysis. The findings indicate that HOTS accounts for 58.8% of the total evaluation instruments, with Creating (C6) as the most dominant cognitive level (25.6%) and Understanding (C2) as the least represented (6.6%). Writing (77.1%) and Presenting (76.7%) show the highest HOTS proportions, whereas Listening remains LOTS-dominant (52.8%), and all End-of-Unit Reflection instruments are entirely LOTS-based (100%). These findings suggest a productively asymmetric distribution of HOTS that supports learning quality while revealing the need for stronger cognitive scaffolding in critical listening, analytical viewing, and evaluative reflection. Theoretically, this study contributes to the application of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in cross-skill textbook analysis and expands understanding of cognitive scaffolding within GBA-based instructional design. Practically, it provides a replicable needs-analysis framework and recommends that textbook developers, teachers, and policymakers strengthen evaluation instruments to better support 21st-century assessment in the Merdeka Curriculum. This study also opens opportunities for comparative research across Merdeka Curriculum English textbooks in Indonesia.
The rapid advancement of science and technology has demanded the development of 21st-century skills, which are essential for employability and success in a complex human society. This systematic literature review examines 21st-century skills frameworks and explores the most researched skills in the context of English Language Teaching (ELT). Following the PRISMA guidelines, the study analyses 61 articles, six dissertations, and four conference proceedings published between 2013 and 2024. Findings reveal that the Partnership for 21st-century Skills (P21) framework is the most widely researched; however, many researchers combine elements from multiple frameworks, such as Assessment and Teaching of 21st-century Skills (ATCs21) and OECD models. Among the emphasized skills, the 4Cs: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity, are the most frequently researched, followed by ICT literacy, initiative, self-direction, and social and cross-cultural skills. The study highlights the importance of incorporating these skills into English Language Teaching (ELT) to equip learners for global challenges. The study reveals that it is necessary to consider contextual variations in skill prioritization. Since this study only included ELT-related research, future research should explore interdisciplinary perspectives and localized adaptations of the 21st-century frameworks and skills.
This study aimed to investigate the extent to which metacognitive thinking skills are embedded in the Grade 7 Science textbook in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To achieve this objective, the study adopted the descriptive analytical approach, as it is considered the most appropriate methodology for content analysis research. The study instrument consisted of a content analysis checklist constructed based on metacognitive thinking skills. In its final form, the instrument comprised three main skills, from which eleven sub-skills were derived. The study sample included the three volumes of the Grade 7 Science textbook (1446H/2024 edition). Frequencies and percentages were employed as statistical procedures to analyze the data obtained from the content analysis process. The findings revealed that metacognitive thinking skills were incorporated into the textbooks at varying levels. Monitoring and control ranked first, with a percentage of (43.279%) and a moderate level of inclusion. Planning ranked second, with a percentage of (42.688%) and a moderate level of inclusion as well. In contrast, evaluation ranked last, with a percentage of (14.032%) and a very low level of inclusion. The study recommended strengthening the inclusion of evaluation skills and their sub-skills (judgment, summarization, and questioning) in the Grade 7 Science textbook. This can be achieved by establishing a minimum benchmark for evaluation skill indicators within each unit during textbook development, thereby ensuring balanced representation among metacognitive thinking skills and preventing imbalance in their distribution throughout the scientific content.
Ibtisam Mohammed Al-Shahri, Falha Faraj Al-Aqla· University of Bisha Journal...· 0 citations
This study systematically reviews 36 recent research articles (2020–2024) on the development of critical thinking in teacher education for English as a foreign language. Although critical thinking is widely recognized as a core competency, recent studies remain fragmented regarding how it is conceptualized, taught, and assessed in English teacher education. This fragmentation makes an updated synthesis urgent amid recent pedagogical, intercultural, and digital transformations in teacher education. The PRISMA protocol was followed, and databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Redalyc were consulted, enabling an analysis of the geographical, methodological, theoretical, didactic, and contextual characteristics of the studies. Qualitative approaches predominate (61%), with a significant concentration in Asia (18 cases), followed by the Americas (8) and Europe (6). Among the theoretical frameworks identified, the cognitive approach (25%) and the sociocultural/sociocognitive approach (22%) stand out, highlighting the importance of connecting thinking with context and social interaction. Regarding didactic strategies, experiential learning (39.6%) is prominent, followed by critical or argumentative reflection (33.9%). However, major challenges remain: limited specialized training, curricular rigidity, and a persistent gap between theory and practice. The review maps recent trends, identifies persistent gaps, and offers pedagogical implications for strengthening critical thinking in English teacher education.
Nelson Rafael Toncel Herrera, Ángel Alfonso Jiménez Sierra· Frontiers in Education· 0 citations
Strengthening Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) has become a fundamental priority in twenty-first-century education and should be systematically fostered through economics education. HOTS plays a crucial role in enhancing students' critical, analytical, evaluative, and creative thinking abilities, enabling them to understand and solve complex economic problems. This study aims to analyze the development of research on strengthening HOTS in economics education, identify the innovative instructional models employed, and examine their effectiveness in enhancing students' higher-order thinking skills. The study adopted a qualitative approach using the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. The data were collected from scholarly articles published in Google Scholar, Scopus, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) between 2020 and 2026. A total of 30 articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected and analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. The findings indicate that Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Based Learning (PjBL), Inquiry Learning, Case-Based Learning (CBL), Discovery Learning, and Blended Learning are effective instructional models for developing students' higher-order thinking skills. These pedagogical approaches consistently promote critical analysis, problem-solving, decision-making, and reflective thinking within authentic economic contexts. The study concludes that strengthening HOTS in economics education requires the systematic integration of innovative, student-centered instructional models to support the development of twenty-first-century competencies and to create more adaptive, contextualized, and meaningful learning experiences.
Abdurrahim, Stit Palapa, Nusantara Lombok et al.· Indonesian Journal of Educat...· 0 citations
The demands of 21st-century education require students to possess higher-order thinking skills, with computational thinking (CT) being one of the core competencies. Although CT is crucial in helping students solve mathematical problems structurally, reality shows that students' CT skills remain moderate, and classroom instructions are predominantly procedural or rote-based. Objective:This study aims to systematically analyze and comprehensively map the impacts and research trends of integrating computational thinking into mathematics learning across various educational levels. Method: This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method guided by the PRISMA framework. Literature searching was executed using the Scopus database, filtering for peer-reviewed journal articles, written in English or Indonesian, available in open-access format, and published between 2020 to 2028. Based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final selected articles were analyzed in-depth using bibliometric analysis and thematic synthesis. Results: The synthesis reveals that integrating CT into mathematics instructions yields significant positive impacts at elementary, junior, and senior high school levels. The core components of CT (decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking) effectively enhance students' problem-solving capacities, logical reasoning, creativity, and learning motivation. Furthermore, the deployment of innovative approaches such as game-based learning, the 5E instructional model, TPACK, STEM, ethnomathematics, and digital tools (GeoGebra, Scratch, ChatGPT) consistently reinforces instructional efficacy. Nonetheless, critical challenges emerge, including variations in students' cognitive prior knowledge, constraints in assessment instruments, and teachers' misconceptions that narrow CT down strictly to computer programming or coding activities. Conclusion: The integration of CT serves as a vital bridge to transform mathematics pedagogy into a more explorative and meaningful experience, highlighting the urgent need for continuous teacher professional development and standardized CT assessment tools
Adi Janes Ngingi, Ariyadi Wijaya, Fitriana Yuli Saptaningtyas· MATHEMA: JURNAL PENDIDIKAN M...· 0 citations
Differentiated instruction has been positioned as a cornerstone strategy within Indonesia's Independent Curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka) for accommodating learner diversity and fostering higher-order thinking skills, yet empirical evidence on its implementation in elementary Indonesian language learning remains limited. This descriptive qualitative study examined the implementation of differentiated instruction, students' critical thinking skills, and associated teacher challenges in a Grade V class (n = 26) at SD Negeri 20 Palu. Data were collected through structured observation checklists, semi-structured teacher interviews, and documentation, then analyzed using Miles et al.'s (2014) interactive model. Findings revealed that 90% of observed differentiation indicators were implemented, encompassing student needs mapping, varied instructional methods, tiered resources and assessment, and technology use; however, structured collaborative learning was absent in observed practice despite being reported by the teacher. Students' critical thinking skills showed progressive development across three topics (number writing: 56.73%; command sentences: 65.38%; scanning reading: 75.00%), with higher-order indicators, particularly drawing conclusions, consistently weaker than surface-level explanatory skills. Principal implementation challenges included time constraints, materials adaptation demands, limited learning resources, and absence of formal professional development in differentiated instruction. These findings extend existing literature by demonstrating that partial but meaningful differentiation, even without formal teacher training, generates measurable critical thinking gains, while confirming a theory-practice gap in collaborative learning common across resource-constrained contexts globally. Sustained professional development and structured institutional support are recommended to strengthen differentiated instruction practice.
S. Fadilah, H. Herlina, Asriani Asriani et al.· Journal of Innovation and Re...· 0 citations