Integrating Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Teaching and Learning: Malaysia and Singapore in Retrospection
Keywords:
21 -Century Skills, Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), Malaysia, Singapore, Teaching and LearningAbstract
Despite being neighbouring countries, Malaysia and Singapore differ greatly in terms of educational performance, evident in international comparative tests like TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). In PISA 2022, a decline in Malaysia’s performance in all three literacy measures assessing Reading, Mathematics and Science compared to the scores back in 2018 is rather perturbing. Hence, this inter-country comparative study explores the integration of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in the teaching and learning with the aim for Malaysia to learn from the best educational policy and practices employed by Singapore in educational planning, implementation and innovation. Through document analysis, as the primary method utilised in this study, it was revealed that there are differences in the academic strategies and activities in Singapore compared to Malaysia due to education system, curricula and assessments, budget allocation and language policy. Based on the interesting commonalities of both countries, it is indicative that the Malaysian education quality can improve by overcoming the challenges in integrating HOTS. Other than promoting international understanding, it is hoped that Malaysian educators will continue to expand, upgrade and reform education by adopting ways to integrate HOTS effectively in teaching and learning.
Downloads
References
Abu Hassan, F. N., Mohamad, Q., Atika, N., Ajmain, T., & Yusof Azuddin, S. K. (2020). The Implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills (Hots) in Malaysia Secondary School: Post PISA 2009. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 24. 5510-5517. doi:10.37200/IJPR/V24I5/PR2020258.
Anderson, L.W., & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy for Learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Bloom, B.S. (Ed.), Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., & Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay
Burik, S., Hammerton, M., & Patra, S. (2020). Country report: The teaching of philosophy in Singapore schools.
Journal of Didactics of Philosophy, 4(3), 190-193.
Chittleborough, G., Jobling, W., Hubber, P. & Calnin, G. (2008). The use of web 2.0 technologies to promote higher order thinking skills. Paper presented at the International Education Research Conference-Brisbane 2008, 18-20 January, 2008.
Choy, S. C., & Cheah, P. K. (2009). Teacher perceptions of critical thinking among students and its influence on higher education. International Journal of teaching and learning in Higher Education. 20(2), 198-206.
Education GPS. (2024). Malaysia: Student performance (PISA 2022). OECD. http://gpseducation.oecd.org FactsMaps. (2019). PISA 2018 worldwide ranking – average score of mathematics, reading and science. https://facts-
maps.com/pisa-2018-worldwide-ranking-average-score-of-mathematics-science-reading/ Ganapathy, M., Singh, M. K. M., Kaur, S., & Liew, W. K. (2017). Promoting higher order thinking skills via
teaching practices. SL: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies. 23(1): 75 – 85.
doi:10.17576/3L-2017-2301-06
Kaur, B. (2021). A look at Singapore Mathematics education through PISA and TIMSS lenses. In: Tan, O.S., Low, E.L., Tay, E.G., Yan, Y.K. (eds) Singapore Math and Science Education Innovation. Empowering Teaching and Learning through Policies and Practice: Singapore and International Perspectives, 1, 61-73. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1357-9_4
Koh, K. H., Tan, C., & Ng, P. T. (2012). Creating thinking schools through authentic assessment: the case in Singa- pore. Educ Asse Eval Acc. 24. 135-149. doi:10.1007/s11092-011-9138-y
Mahmad, M., Yee, M., Tee, T., & Azid, N. (2021). Higher order thinking skills and teaching style in Mathematics pri- mary school: A review. International Journal Of Education And Pedagogy, 3(1), 1-21. https://myjms.mohe. gov.my/index.php/ijeap/article/view/12603
Ministry of Education, Malaysia. (2013). Malaysian education blueprint 2013-2025. Putrajaya: MOE. Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2014). Information sheet of 21st century competencies. https://www.moe.gov.sg/
news/press-releases/information-sheet-on-21st-centurycompetencies.
Ministry of Education, Singapore. (2016). Equipped, primed & future-ready: Singapore students have what it takes to thrive in the 21 century workplace. https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/press-releases/20161206-equipped-
st
primed-and-future-ready-singapore-students-have-what-it-takes-to-thrive-in-the-21st-century-workplace Ministry of Education Singapore. (2020). Ministry of Education: Moulding the future of our nation. https://www.moe.gov.sg/ OECD. (2020). Education Malaysia 2020: Breaking down OECD’s PISA big data. https://bjthoughts.com/2020/01/
education-breaking-down-oecd-big-data/
OECD. (2023, December 5). PISA 2022 results: Factsheets Malaysia. https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022- results/country-notes/malaysia-1dbe2061/
Ong, S.L., J. Ling, Chang, W.L. (2023). Scaffolding Computational Thinking Through Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning: Using Problem to Power Learning, EDULEARN23 Proceedings, 2294-2302.
Othman, N. & Mohamad, K. A. (2014). Thinking skill education and transformational progress in Malaysia. Inter- national Education Studies. Vol. 7(4), 27-28. Pappas, Eric. “Teaching Thinking and Problem Solving in the University Curriculum: A Rationale.”
Rajaendram, R. (2023, December 5). Malaysian students’ Pisa scores drop in 2022. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.
my/news/nation/2023/12/05/malaysian-students-pisa-scores-drop-in-2022
Rosnani, H., & Suhailah, H. (2003). The teaching of thinking in Malaysia (1 Ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Research Manage-
st
ment Centre. International Islamic University Malaysia.
SchoolAdvisor. (2021, Feb 23). School Guide: Dual Language Programme in national and private schools and the second language integration in international schools. https://schooladvisor.my/articles/dual-language-pro- gramme-in-national-and-private-schools-and-the-second-language-integration-in-international-schools
Singh, C. K. S., Mohtar, T., Mostafa, N., Singh, R., & Singh, T. (2018). A Review of Research on the Use of Higher Order Thinking Skills to Teach Writing. International Journal of English Linguistics. 8. 23-61. doi:10.5539/ijel.v8n1p86.
Tang, R. (2016, Mar 9). 7 things from Singapore’s education system that should be implemented in Malaysia. SAYS.
https://says.com/my/imho/malaysian-vs-singaporean-education-system
TheGlobalEconomy.com. (2024). Malaysia: PISA reading scores. https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Malaysia/
pisa_reading_scores/
TheStar. (2023, Oct 13). Highlights of budget 2024. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/13/highlights- of-budget-2024
Tiew, C. C., & Ng, M. L. Y. B. A. (2019). The teaching of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in Malaysian Schools: Policy and Practices. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management (MOJEM), 7(3), 1-18. https:// mojem.um.edu.my/article/view/18591
World Data. (2024). Country comparison. WorldData.info. https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.
php?country1=MYS&country2=SGP
Wu, T. T., Silitonga, L. M. & Murti, A. T. (2024). Enhancing English writing and higher-order thinking skills through computational thinking, Computers & Education. 213. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105012
Yusoff, W. M. W., & Seman, S. C. (2018). Teachers’ knowledge of higher order thinking and questioning skills: a case study at a primary school in Terengganu, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progres- sive Education and Development. 7(2), 45–63.
Zohar, A., Degani, A., & Vaaknin, E. (2001). Lecturers’ beliefs about low-achieving students and higher order think- ing. Teaching and Teacher Education. 17(4), 469-485.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 International Journal Of Teacher Education & Teaching
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
-
Copyright Ownership
All content published in this journal, including articles, images, and other materials, is the exclusive property of the journal. Authors transfer the copyright to the journal upon acceptance for publication. -
Usage Rights
The journal holds the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive all accepted works in any format or medium. Authors may share their published work for non-commercial purposes with proper acknowledgment of the journal as the original publisher. -
Open Access Policy
Articles are made available for reading and downloading for educational and research purposes. Any commercial use or reproduction requires prior written permission from the journal. -
Restrictions
Users may not alter, sell, or republish the content without formal authorization from the journal. -
Third-Party Content
Any material not owned by the journal is clearly identified, and separate permissions may be required for its use. -
Disclaimer
While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the journal is not liable for any misuse, errors, or omissions in published content. Authors are responsible for the originality and authenticity of their submissions.
