Revisiting Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy in Indonesian New Curriculum System (Joining virtually)

This paper investigates misunderstandings regarding implementing HOTS in the Indonesian education system, focusing on selecting KKO (Operational Framework or verbs) in learning materials and questions by teachers through a literature review approach. The 2013 Curriculum is being replaced by the Prototype Curriculum in the Indonesian education system (Kurikulum Merdeka). This modification emphasizes students' abilities to observe their environment, solve problems, and find social solutions. By applying LOTS (Lower Order Thinking Skills) and MOTS (Middle Order Thinking Skills) towards HOTS, Bloom's Taxonomy is also used to support the Merdeka curriculum (high thinking skills). However, HOTS is misunderstood in the national curriculum. The Merdeka curriculum proposes the implementation and application of hierarchical HOTS to increase students' skills and competencies. Ministry of Education and Culture directives govern KKO and HOTS-based learning questions. Teachers struggle to develop instructional materials, and students struggle to answer HOTS questions. It becomes problematic when policymakers regulate HOTS with teacher obstacles.

According to experts in Bloom's Taxonomy, efforts to improve classroom learning frequently fail. Bloom's Taxonomy prohibits the teaching of "high-level" tasks before "lower-order" tasks. The mastery of simple tasks must precede that of complex ones. Students who struggle with Knowledge (C1) and Comprehension (C2) should not be taught "higher-order" concepts first. Knowledge (C4) must be mastered before Synthesis (C5). Complex individual abilities with variable comprehension and practice levels are inapplicable to HOTS leveling. We propose to deconstruct the understanding and application of Bloom's Taxonomy for the reconstruction of HOTS in terms of the subject developed by the teacher; (1) rather than assuming that a "higher-order" task will always be more complicated than a "lower-order" task, the teacher can change almost all levels of questions by decreasing the difficulty (but not the level); (2) rather than assuming that "higher-order" results necessitate "higher-order" learning tasks, teachers should focus on how students learn. Inviting students to engage with "higher-order" learning materials actively is the solution; and (3) since critical thinking (evaluative) is the correct way of thinking, it is crucial to increase students' understanding while enhancing their abilities. Not only can this taxonomy be used mechanically based on its fundamental understanding, but it can also be developed and explained further based on the context of the subject matter. To avoid Bloom's Taxonomy paradox plaguing the Indonesian educational system, all levels of cognitive ability may be used to complete tasks.

Rahmat Ryadhush Shalihin (Ryan) is a PhD student in Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and a paper consultant for Indonesian students. He earned a master's degree in Islamic Education from Ahmad Dahlan University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His research interest covers Islamic education, neuroeducation, fiqh contemporary, fiqh disaster, and science and religion transdisciplinary model. His works have appeared in the International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research. He also has two patents for research publications about Islamic and physics transdisciplinary approaches and Islamic education based on students’ psychology in Indonesia.

Aliamat bin Omar Ali, Ph.D earned a master’s degree in Language Learning and Education from the University of York, England, and Ph.D in Education from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interest covers the Malay Language, researching technology, such as computers, mobile devices, weblogs, software, and LMS platforms in language classrooms, technology, and pedagogy. He also seconded to UBD Entrepreneurship Village as part of the UBD initiative toward achieving UBD goals for innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization.

Dr. Norhazlin binti Pg Hj Muhammad, earned a master’s degree in Islamic Education from the University of International Islamic University Malaysia and PhD degree in Islamic Studies from The University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Her expertise in Islamic Education, Islamic Studies, Islam in Brunei, and the History and Development of Education in Brunei Darussalam. Her research interest includes contemporary issues in Islamic Education and Islamic Studies, traditional and contemporary thought of Muslim scholars in Islamic Education and Islamic Studies, the Comparative Waqaf system, Islam and Women studies, and Islam in South-East Asia and Europe. She was also a Visiting Research Fellow, at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Oxford, UK, and Visiting Researcher, at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.

Irham is a PhD student in Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam and a part-time lecturer at the faculty of Humanities, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang Indonesia. He earned a master's degree in linguistics from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. His research interest covers critical applied linguistics, EMI, English as an international language, internationalization of higher education, corpus linguistics, and pragmatics. His works have appeared in the Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, MEXTESOL journal, Asian Englishes and Changing English, among others. He also has contributed a chapter published by Nova Science.