English Teachers’ Perceptions of Higher Order Thinking Skills

Abstract

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers require appropriate skills to meet 21^st century challenges such as global competitiveness, globalization, and rapidly media-saturated environments. Thus, it is necessary for EFL teachers to understand and implement Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), such as critical system thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. The purpose of this study was to determine EFL teachers’ understanding and implementation of HOTS. An explanatory sequential design was used in the study, which included a survey and semi-structured interviews with 20 EFL teachers from a teacher education program in Southeast Mexico. The findings indicate that teachers are aware of the importance of HOTS-focused learning and teaching in order to meet today’s challenges, but that their knowledge of HOTS still needs to be expanded. This entails cultivating a positive awareness of the importance of HOTS in order to foster the need for pre-service education that emphasizes the aspects of HOTS.