Challenges in Applying Higher Order Thinking Skills Assessment in the Teaching of Arabic in Indonesia

Abstract

One of the teachers’ responsibilities in the teaching and learning process is to conduct assessments. The main purpose of assessment is to understand students’ learning outcomes. Based on the outcomes, teachers can give feedback to improve the planning and the implementation of the teaching process and to determine the quality of the assessment instrument. The Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based assessment is urgently needed in schools to produce competitive graduates who have the critical thinking, communicative, collaborative, and creative skills. However, there are some challenges in the implementation of HOTS-based assessment, such as students’ low motivation and Arabic competence, ambiguous definitions of basic competencies in the curriculum, and lack of HOTS materials in textbooks. These challenges can be solved by making an acquisition-based learning of Arabic, reconstructing the descriptions of basic competence, and adapting HOTS-based assessment which is in line with the students’ ability.
 Keywords: challenges, HOTS, Arabic teaching, solutions