Students’ thinking process in solving Higher-Order Thinking (HOT) problems through Aptitude Treatment Interaction (ATI) learning model

Abstract

The assessment model in the 2013 Curriculum has adapted the international standardized assessment model. It is expected to help students to improve their higher-order thinking skills. One of the differences among students that teachers should pay attention to is their thinking process when solving math problems. The Aptitude Treatment Interaction (ATI) learning model is a learning model that adapts learning to the characteristics of students’ abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate how high-, moderate-, and low-ability students could solve higher-order thinking (HOT) problems through the ATI learning model. This research employed mixed methods. The participants were students of Junior High School 3 Banda Aceh, in which three of them were interviewed. The data were obtained from observations, tests, and interviews. The results showed that the ATI learning model did not directly impact the students’ thinking process in solving HOT problems. Instead, it had a profound effect on students’ activities during the study. The high-ability students were better than the moderate- and low-ability students in each indicator of the thinking process in solving HOT questions. Students’ activities increased during the learning process from the first meeting to the last one.