Needs Analysis of Thinking Style and Higher Order Thinking Skills for Solving Problems in Producing Products

Abstract

Problem solving is a practical method that aims to generate ideas to form some more practical and effective solutions. The generation of ideas in producing products requires complex thinking which is regarded as higher order thinking skills (HOTS). The purpose of this study was to analyse the need for students’ thinking style and HOTS to solve problems in producing products. This study adopted descriptive design using quantitative approach. A total of 895 technical students at Sultan Abdul Halim Muad’zam Shah Polytechnic were randomly selected as the study sample. A set of questionnaires was developed as the research instrument. Data were then analysed using SPSS software and presented in the form of frequency and percentage. The findings show that 85.5% of students faced problems while solving tasks in the form of problem solving in producing products. The most common problem faced by students when completing tasks in producing products was finding ideas to develop a product. The factors that caused difficulties in solving problems for the production of a product were lack of specialized skills, lack of knowledge of specialized skills, and lack of specialized training. As a result, the students have difficulty in problem-solving during producing products. However, 89.4% of students perceived that they need knowledge of thinking style and HOTS that provide a complete description of work steps to solve problems in product production. These findings have implications on encouraging students to acquire and improve thinking style and HOTS to solve problems in producing products