Revisiting Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Arabic Language Education: From Technical Adoption to Pedagogical Transformation in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/jta.v10i1.55137Keywords:
Arabic language pedagogy, Curricular alignment, Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), Meaning-based assessment, Qualitative thematic analysis, Tertiary-level learningAbstract
The growing emphasis on Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in higher education has encouraged curriculum reform across disciplines, including Arabic language education. However, existing studies predominantly conceptualise HOTS as a set of instructional techniques rather than as an overarching pedagogical orientation. This qualitative interpretive study examines whether HOTS functions as a holistic pedagogical paradigm or remains a fragmented instructional component in tertiary Arabic language teaching. Data were collected from course syllabi, instructional materials, and semi-structured interviews with one lecturer and five undergraduate students at a State Islamic University in East Java, Indonesia. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal a notable misalignment between curriculum design and classroom implementation. Although official course documents promote higher-order cognitive competencies, instructional practices and assessment methods continue to emphasise lower-order linguistic knowledge through predominantly closed-ended tasks. Consequently, HOTS is implemented primarily as a technical enhancement, such as increasing task complexity, rather than as an epistemological framework guiding teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the emergence of several meaning-oriented learning activities indicates an initial shift toward more interpretive and reflective pedagogical practices. This study contributes to Arabic language education literature by reconceptualising HOTS as an epistemological foundation that requires alignment among curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. The findings also provide practical implications for curriculum developers and teacher educators seeking to strengthen HOTS implementation in tertiary Arabic language programmes.
References
Abosalem, Y. (2016). Assessment techniques and students' higher-order thinking skills. International Journal of Secondary Education, 4(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsedu.20160401.11
Alanazi, A. A., Osman, K., & Halim, L. (2024). Effect of scaffolding strategies and guided discovery on higher-order thinking skills in physics education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(9), Article em2496. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14980
Arifin, Z., Saputro, S., & Kamari, A. (2025). The effect of inquiry-based learning on students' critical thinking skills in science education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(3), Article em2592. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15988
Baihaqi, A. I., Syammary, N. A., Masrifah, K., Murtadho, N., & Nurhidayati, N. (2025). Development of HOTS-based Arabic language module to improve students' critical thinking skills. Arabi: Journal of Arabic Studies, 10(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.24865/ajas.v10i1.908
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern-based qualitative analytic approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360
Faber, T. J. E., Dankbaar, M. E. W., van den Broek, W. W., Bruinink, L. J., Hogeveen, M., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2024). Effects of adaptive scaffolding on performance, cognitive load and engagement in game-based learning: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), Article 943. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05698-3
Huda, M. M., & Rais, P. (2021). Improving Arabic language learning based on higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in excellent senior high school. Fenomena, 20(2), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.35719/fenomena.v20i2.68
Ibrahim, A., & Barnawi, O. Z. (2022). Higher education in the Arabian Gulf region. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003049609
Ilgun Dibek, M., Sahin Kursad, M., & Erdogan, T. (2025). Influence of artificial intelligence tools on higher order thinking skills: A meta-analysis. Interactive Learning Environments, 33(3), 2216–2238. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2402028
Kamlasi, I., Pratama, H., Wahyuni, S., & Bahri, S. (2025). Exploring higher-order and lower-order oral questions: A revised Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive aspects in undergraduate EFL thesis defense examinations. Veredas do Direito, 22(5), Article e223803. https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v22.n5.3803
Kania, N., & Kusumah, Y. S. (2025). The measurement of higher-order thinking skills: A systematic literature review. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 22(1), 97–116. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2025.22.1.6
Masrifah, K., & Ahsanuddin, M. (2025). Development of HOTS-based final semester assessment questions in the Al-‘Ashri Arabic textbook for 10th-grade students of Islamic Senior High School. Arabiyatuna: Jurnal Bahasa Arab, 9(2), 755–769. https://doi.org/10.29240/jba.v9i2.13889
Mustapha, M. Z., & Abdullah, N. (2024). The effects of flipped classroom teaching method on science students' higher order thinking skills, engagement and satisfaction. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(3s), 3389–3403. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803245S
Nugroho, I., Wilujeng, I., Iman, M. S., & Mahesawati, P. N. (2025). Publication trends on higher-order thinking skills and science process skills in elementary schools (1992–2023): A bibliometric analysis of science education. Al-Bidayah: Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Islam, 17(2), 92–119. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-bidayah.v17i2.12039
Putri, A. K., Fahrunisa, A. H., Evriliani, A. S., Volosa, E., & Nahadi, N. (2024). Transforming chemistry learning through the development of higher order thinking based on revised Bloom’s taxonomy: A systematic review. Hydrogen: Jurnal Kependidikan Kimia, 12(3), 589–605. https://doi.org/10.33394/hjkk.v12i3.12452
Rahmati, H., Garmabi, B., Ghazvini, H., Tamijani, S. M. S., Sarvandani, M. N., & Rafaiee, R. (2026). Circadian rhythms and human studies: Methodology, challenges, and future directions in research. Biological Rhythm Research, 57(2), 71–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/09291016.2025.2541247
Salido, A., Syarif, I., Suparjan, S., Wana, P. R., Sitepu, M. S., & Melisa, R. (2025). Mapping the landscape of critical thinking skills in higher education in the AI era: A bibliometric and systematic literature review. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 8(2), 139–164. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.2025.23
Singh, C. K. S., Tao, H., Ong, E. T., et al. (2023). Teachers' self-assessment of and perceptions on higher-order thinking skills practices for teaching writing. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 13(3), 337–349. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.13.03.34
Siregar, T. (2025). Balancing higher- and lower-order thinking skills: An analysis of lecturers' pedagogical practices in higher education. SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstract=5590290
Sukmojati, E., Viana, S. A., Djami, M. K., Fauzi, A., Syafirah, D., & Bana, E. O. D. (2025). Critical thinking in English language teaching: A bibliometric analysis. F1000Research, 14, Article 1305. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.171160.1
van Nooijen, C. C. A., de Koning, B. B., Bramer, W. M., et al. (2024). A cognitive load theory approach to understanding expert scaffolding of visual problem-solving tasks: A scoping review. Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09848-3
Vargas, J. H., Ccama Ojeda, E. C., Coronado Zapata, C. A., Ascoy Flores, K. A., Hernández Vela, J. A., & Damian Espinoza, Y. E. (2024). Analysis of significant learning in higher education: Usefulness of Fink's taxonomy: A systematic review. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 7(S7), Article 1341. https://doi.org/10.63332/joph.v5i6.2393
Yang, A., Sulaiman, N. A., & Yaccob, N. S. (2025). Enhancing critical thinking skills for higher education students through English reading modules: A systematic review. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2587466. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2587466
Yang, Y., & Heong, Y. M. (2024). The significance of developing advanced higher order thinking skills in China's arts education. Journal of TVET and Technology Review, 2(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.30880/jttr.2024.02.01.003
Yasmar, R., Al Husna, L., Wargadinata, W., & Nurhadi, N. (2023). Exploration HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) in Arabic textbook. Tanwir Arabiyyah: Arabic As Foreign Language Journal, 3(2), 97–110.
Yücel, A. G. (2025). Critical thinking and education: A bibliometric mapping of the research literature (2005-2024). Participatory Educational Research, 12(2), Article 23. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.25.23.12.2
Zohar, A., & Dori, Y. J. (2003). Higher order thinking skills and low-achieving students: Are they mutually exclusive? The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(2), 145–181. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327809JLS1202_1
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Siti Maisaroh, Naqi’ah Naqi’ah, Sulaiman Hasan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Ta'lim al-'Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab dan Kebahasaaraban agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Ta'lim al-'Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab dan Kebahasaaraban is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/Talim
