Foster Higher Order Thinking Research Articles

Tiers of Engagement: Achieved Learning From Business Simulations Reflected in Economics Students’ Experiences

This article investigates the impact of a business simulator in an online economics course, focusing on the relationship between student engagement and reflections on learning. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, our study analyzes responses from 328 students who used the "Hubro Business Simulator" in a flexible online bachelor's program in economics and administration. Students provided reflections on the simulator as a learning activity, application of theoretical concepts and practical relevance. Qualitative analysis of 1640 responses further explored the depth of students' reflections, categorized into different tiers of engagement based on their responses. This analysis builds on Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and motivational theory. The study sought to determine whether students reporting higher levels of engagement exhibited deeper metacognitive reflections compared to their less engaged peers. Findings support a link between the level of engagement and the depth of reflection. Students with higher engagement levels were more likely to reflect on specific ways in which the simulator had supported their learning and understanding of theoretical concepts. This paper discusses the limitations and implications of these findings for enhancing game-based learning interventions, emphasizing the need to foster higher engagement levels to improve educational outcomes in online learning environments. The study contributes to the literature on game-based learning by providing a large empirical study on how business simulators can foster higher-order thinking and deeper learning reflections among economics students. It also highlights the role of engagement in using business simulators as learning tools, offering insights that could improve the learning design and implementation in similar online and flexible learning program contexts.

Effectiveness of Using Artificial Intelligence Learning Tools and Customized Curriculum on Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills in Indonesia

This study investigates the effectiveness of using artificial intelligence (AI) learning tools and customized curricula in enhancing the critical thinking skills of students in Indonesia. A quantitative research design was employed, involving a sample of 250 students. Data were collected using a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling - Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS 3). The findings indicate that all relationships between AI learning tools, customized curricula, and critical thinking skills are positive and significant. The results suggest that the integration of AI in education, combined with tailored educational content, significantly improves students' critical thinking abilities. These insights provide valuable guidance for educators and policymakers aiming to foster higher-order thinking skills in the educational system.d distance learning, guiding future studies and practical applications.n.

Evaluating the impact of educational technology on learning outcomes in the higher education sector: a systematic review

This systematic review evaluates the impact of educational technology on learning outcomes in the higher education sector. With the rapid integration of digital tools in educational settings, understanding their effectiveness has become crucial. The paper's objective is to synthesize existing research findings to assess how educational technologies influence learning outcomes. We employed a comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases, including peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, to collect studies published in the last decade. The inclusion criteria focused on empirical studies that measured the impact of technologies such as learning management systems, online simulations, and digital collaborative tools on student learning outcomes in higher education. Our methodology involved a rigorous screening process, quality assessment, and data extraction, followed by a thematic synthesis of the findings. The review included a total of 47 studies, which were analyzed to identify patterns, themes, and gaps in the current literature. Key findings suggest that educational technology, when effectively integrated into teaching and learning processes, can enhance student engagement, improve knowledge retention, and foster higher-order thinking skills. However, the impact varies significantly depending on the type of technology used, pedagogical approach, and context of implementation. The review also highlights the importance of faculty training and support in maximizing the potential benefits of educational technologies. Educational technology holds promise for improving learning outcomes in higher education, but its success is contingent upon thoughtful implementation, pedagogical alignment, and ongoing support for instructors. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to better understand the long-term effects of educational technologies on learning outcomes. Keywords: Educational Technology, Learning Outcomes, Higher Education, Digital Divide, Accessibility, Equity, Blended Learning, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Learning, Pedagogical Approaches, Professional Development, Strategic Integration.

A collaborative professional development and its impact on teachers' ability to foster higher order thinking

The objective of this research is to examine teachers' competence in designing activities after engaging in professional development activities aimed at enhancing teaching design in order to develop students' thinking abilities that are contextually appropriate. The participants consist of 5 elementary school science teachers from schools. The research employed semi-structured interviews and classroom observation as research instruments. The findings reveal that teachers engaged in self-development through observation and learning from their peers within the community of practice (CoP). They receive advice and feedback from fellow teachers and apply these insights to improve their activities. Consequently, teachers are able to continuously refine and develop their teaching approaches to align with students' contexts. This approach facilitate diversification in thinking and learning management, as well as collaborative teamwork to enhance teaching methods. As a result, engaging and interesting thinking development activities are incorporated into student learning, along with the creation of a seamless learning-promoting environment. Collaborative teamwork in instructional design and problem-solving further afford teachers the opportunity for additional self-learning and personal development. This collaborative approach also contributes to fostering cognitive diversity and relieved the need for individual teachers to undertake all tasks independently.

Evaluating the impact of educational technology on learning outcomes in the higher education sector: A systematic review

This systematic review evaluates the impact of educational technology on learning outcomes in the higher education sector. With the rapid integration of digital tools in educational settings, understanding their effectiveness has become crucial. The paper's objective is to synthesize existing research findings to assess how educational technologies influence learning outcomes. We employed a comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases, including peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, to collect studies published in the last decade. The inclusion criteria focused on empirical studies that measured the impact of technologies such as learning management systems, online simulations, and digital collaborative tools on student learning outcomes in higher education. Our methodology involved a rigorous screening process, quality assessment, and data extraction, followed by a thematic synthesis of the findings. The review included a total of 47 studies, which were analyzed to identify patterns, themes, and gaps in the current literature. Key findings suggest that educational technology, when effectively integrated into teaching and learning processes, can enhance student engagement, improve knowledge retention, and foster higher-order thinking skills. However, the impact varies significantly depending on the type of technology used, pedagogical approach, and context of implementation. The review also highlights the importance of faculty training and support in maximizing the potential benefits of educational technologies. Educational technology holds promise for improving learning outcomes in higher education, but its success is contingent upon thoughtful implementation, pedagogical alignment, and ongoing support for instructors. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to better understand the long-term effects of educational technologies on learning outcomes.

The Burning of Black Wall Street: A Case Study on the Tulsa Race Massacre

Until the beginning of the 21st century, the Tulsa Race Massacre was omitted mainly from the social studies curriculum and state-mandated standards in the United States. However, the featured lesson provides a valuable springboard to explore the historical perspectives and injustices against the Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 31, 1921. This lesson exemplifies how social studies teachers can effectively explore controversial issues, such as racial discrimination in U.S. history, by investigating the Tulsa Race Massacre. Students are encouraged to engage in a comprehensive analysis and discussion of newspaper articles to investigate the events prior to the Tulsa Race Massacre and the obstacles faced by the inhabitants of Tulsa in the aftermath of the tragedy. Through implementing the case study approach, this pedagogical lesson aims to foster higher-order thinking skills among students by providing an opportunity to analyze, compare, and contrast various reports in a secondary classroom setting.

The Impact of Cl4STEM Online Community of Practice on Science and Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge and Professional Development in Nigeria

Connected Learning for STEM (CL4STEM) is an innovative teacher capacity-building project piloted in Nigeria. It aimed at science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers’ capacity building to foster higher-order thinking with inclusion and equity (HOTIE) in their classroom practices. It adopted a model of mobile-based communities of practice (CoP) as one of the strategies for CL4STEM teacher professional development. Hence, this study investigated the impact of the CL4STEM project online CoP on science and mathematics teachers’ subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and professional practice for achieving HOTIE in their classrooms. The study adopted a survey research design involving documentary content analysis and a one-group pre-test-posttest design to collect qualitative and quantitative data to achieve the objectives of the research. The population of the study was all science; biology, chemistry, and physics teachers in senior secondary schools in selected states in Northern Nigeria. Purposive sampling was used to select one newly qualified biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics teacher per subject area from twenty sample schools in the population, thus a target sample size of 80 science and mathematics teachers, 20 each per subject. Content analysis of the module reports and evaluation of lesson plans were used to obtain qualitative data on the science and mathematics teachers’ CoP practices and professional learning. The Pre-test and post-test on the teachers’ subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge were the instruments for quantitative data collection. The instruments were validated by the project consultant and science and mathematics education experts. Four research objectives and four corresponding research questions guided the study. Descriptive statistics, descriptive content analysis, and descriptive narrative were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that online CoP has remarkably impacted teachers’ subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge and professional development.

Mathematics education in the digital age: How to foster higher-order thinking skills?

<span lang="EN-US">How technology and industrial change affect how well students do in school for the 4.0 level to be met, students must be able to use higher-order thinking and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Students have difficulty using advanced technological tools when they need to think critically and artistically. So, students will only be able to learn higher-order thinking skills if they have TPACK. It is a common reason why people need to learn mathematics better in the current world. The purpose of this research was to help complete a structural model of TPACK and higher-order thinking skills for distance math learners. In a cross-sectional quantitative study, the data were looked at with structural equation modelling (SEM). For this study, 279 people from Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto and Universitas Riau were chosen to participate. The study’s structure model shows a powerful link between higher-order thinking skills and TPACK. As a result, secondary school mathematics educators can benefit from this study’s findings by adopting fresh perspectives on TPACK and higher-order thinking.</span>

Defining Active Learning: A Restricted Systemic Review

What is active learning? While active learning has been demonstrated to have positive impacts on student learning and performance, defining the concept has been elusive. Previous research examining active learning definitions in STEM fields found that the vast majority of published articles did not define active learning, and those that did defined active learning as interacting, engaging, or not lecturing. The current research extends this STEM-focused work by examining both social science and STEM science publications. A restricted systematic review of literature was conducted using the SCOPUS database, resulting in 547 relevant articles focused on active learning from 2017 to 2022. An examination of the articles indicated that 71% of the reviewed articles did not define active learning and that the instructional strategies most often cited as fostering active learning emphasized social interactive learning strategies (e.g., small groups, team-based learning, discussion, and cooperative learning), as well as critical thinking strategies (e.g., problem-based learning, case-based learning, and inquiry-based learning). In addition, an in-depth qualitative analysis of the 161 definitions provided within the articles yielded three main emergent themes: (a) active learning is defined as grounded in student-centered constructivist theory, (b) active learning is defined as promoting higher-order thinking and deep learning, and (c) active learning is defined as an instructional strategy involving activity, participation, and engagement. Given these main findings, a representative definition was created: Active learning is a student-centered approach to the construction of knowledge focused on activities and strategies that foster higher-order thinking.

Language Used in The International Class Program at The Elementary School Level

This study aimed to determine the classroom language used in the International Class Program for a private elementary school in Malang city, Indonesia. This qualitative research involved three teachers who taught subjects of Math, Science, and English with English as a medium of instruction. The results showed that the classroom language used by the teachers was in the forms of giving directions, asking questions, discussing, and expressing agreement and disagreement. Also, some teachers have tried using action verbs in Bloom’s Taxonomy to foster higher-order thinking skills while teaching in class. However, some teachers still used Indonesian extensively to give directions and instructions. Therefore, continuous training in English Language proficiency and English as a medium of Instruction pedagogy must be established to strengthen International Class Program teachers’ skills.
 Keywords: classroom language, International Class Program, Elementary school

Scaffolding questions to foster higher order thinking

Nursing instructors must select teaching strategies that foster clinical judgment to prepare nursing students for licensure and practice. Questioning is not a new strategy, but it is an effective method to engage students in higher-order thinking including clinical judgment. By scaffolding and sequencing the questions around Bloom's Taxonomy, instructors can guide student thinking in a stepwise fashion toward the evaluation and synthesis levels where clinical judgment occurs. This manuscript provides instructions on how to employ scaffolded questions to foster clinical judgment.

Interactive, Image‐Based Study Modules are Effective Tools for Learning Human Anatomy

Introduction Gross Anatomy and Neuroanatomy are challenging, time-consuming topics for medical students to master. Undergraduate training in these disciplines is usually laboratory-based, using cadaveric dissection, preserved brain specimens and histological slides. Unfortunately, due to curricular time constraints, hours available for laboratory instruction have been greatly reduced at many medical schools. This has created a need for innovative approaches to enhance learning efficiency in foundational topics such as anatomy. Aim The purpose here was to develop and evaluate a set of interactive learning tools to supplement laboratory-based anatomy learning in a preclerkship Neuroscience module. Approach/Methods Twenty image-based modules were developed using PowerPointTM, covering topics in Neuroanatomy, Head and Neck Anatomy, Radiology and Histology. The cost of the project was minimized by using open-source and in-house images. PowerPointTM animation was used to make navigation flexible, thereby individualizing the learning experience to fit each user's pace and style. To foster higher-order thinking skills, the modules include formative questions on function, integration and clinical application of the content. Outcomes were assessed using anonymous surveys of student usage and satisfaction, and by comparing class exam averages before and after introduction of the tools. Results The e-modules are now used in an 8-week long Neuroscience Module. Sixteen modules serve as supplemental materials for scheduled laboratory sessions, while four are used to deliver content that is not otherwise covered in the classroom. Self-reported student usage was 100%. When asked to rate the helpfulness of the modules using a five-point Likert scale, 96% of respondents provided the highest rating of “extremely helpful”. Following introduction of the modules, the class mean on the midterm practical exam increased from 79.8 to 84.1 (p<0.02) and the class mean on the final practical exam increased from 85.9 to 90.8 (p<0.02). Discussion The introduction of interactive learning modules to supplement or replace lab instruction in gross anatomy and neuroanatomy was associated with a high level of student satisfaction and improved learning outcomes. While commercial e-learning packages could also be used for this purpose, the licenses are expensive, and we find that the content of these tools rarely aligns with that of our integrated, systems-based blocks. Benefits of using PowerPointTM include widespread software availability, ease of programming, high product usability, and low cost. The files are also easy to update in response to user suggestions and curricular content changes. The modules described here are a useful innovation because they fill a need for low-cost, customizable, e-learning tools that increase time efficiency of anatomy learning. These tools could easily be generalized for other disciplines in the medical curriculum, or tailored for use at other medical schools. The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense. The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Higher-Order Assessment in Gross Anatomy: A Comparison of Performance on Higher- Versus Lower-Order Anatomy Questions between Undergraduate and First-Year Medical Students.

Gross anatomy is considered by many the backbone of medical education. While learning anatomy has a reputation of requiring mainly rote memorization, modern day anatomy education often involves instruction and assessment at cognitive levels that foster higher-order thinking. In many instances, these higher-order anatomical concepts are taught to graduate students in healthcare-related fields, such as medicine. At this level, students are expected to apply and analyze anatomical information since that is what will ultimately be expected of them as professionals. In contrast, undergraduate anatomy education is typically more introductory in nature and often takes place in the setting of a large-enrollment course that serves as a prerequisite for many health sciences degree programs. In this study, variables related to the assessment of higher-order concepts in clinical anatomy were compared between first-year medical students and undergraduate students enrolled in an upper-level human gross anatomy course. Results demonstrate that undergraduate students perform lower than medical students overall, but the degree of difference in how they perform on higher- versus lower-order questions is comparable. The most notable exception is on practical examinations, where undergraduate students tend to struggle more with applying and analyzing information. Exploration of additional variables provides insight into how the cognitive level being assessed affects the time it takes to answer a question and how different practical examination question types and formats influence student performance. Findings presented in this study have implications for designing anatomy courses and underscore the importance of blueprinting assessments.

Diverse Student Perceptions of Active Learning in a Large Enrollment STEM Course

The concept of active learning as a superior mode of instruction has recently received great attention in the education research literature. It holds promise of steering students away from rote memorization towards higher order thinking. However, few studies focus on student perceptions of higher order thinking activities and diverse student voices are all but absent in this regard. This study applies a combined approach of exploratory qualitative and supplementary quantitative analysis to address this gap. We examined perceptions of underrepresented and non-underrepresented students regarding their engagement in active learning to foster higher order thinking. The study was set within a large enrollment (198 students), undergraduate course in the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The study sample comprised of 33 purposefully selected, ethnically and racially diverse students. Data sources included class attendance/participation, graded activity assignments, and a perception survey. Class attendance and graded assignments were used to triangulate responses on the perception surveys. The Generic Inductive Approach supported our qualitative analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed via two-way ANOVA, non-parametric Mann-Whitney Test (when assumptions did not hold) and simple linear regression. Findings include three themes that cut across groups; participants perceived their higher order thinking skills improved, that there were benefits and challenges to active learning and a fear of failing the course. Quantitative data from the active learning activities and attendance supported similar engagement and achievement in higher order thinking activities across race/ethnicity groups as differences failed to reach the a priori established significance threshold. This study extends the knowledge on active learning and demonstrates that it was possible to engage underrepresented and non-underrepresented students equally and effectively in higher order thinking actives in large enrollment courses and that students perceived this as beneficial.

Inquiry-based physics textbooks with multi representation to practice hypothetico deductive reasoning for senior high school students

Physics learning consists of theories, concepts, and laws that study phenomena in the universe that must emphasize students to use higher-order thinking skills. Scientific reasoning is a thought process that is used to solve problems based on scientific evidence. When students can reason well, these students can understand the concepts of the material that has been learned. Hypothetico deductive reasoning is one of scientific reasoning that can foster higher order thinking skills. One that can support the success of the learning process is a textbook accompanied by an inquiry. This inquiry-based textbook accompanied by multirepresentations contains a description of physics subjects to find information and knowledge where students are encouraged to be directly involved in inquiry to practice hypotethico deductive reasoning skills. This book is equipped with multi representations to facilitate students in processing concepts and solving problems. Inquiry-based student textbooks accompanied by multiple representations can improve students to gain experience, investigate problems and draw conclusions according to scientific methods.

ESL TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES TO FOSTER HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS TO TEACH WRITING

Purpose - This research focuses on ESL teachers’ strategies to foster higher-order thinking skills to teach writing to weak ESL learners in two selected secondary schools in Malaysia. ESL teachers’ strategies to foster higher-order thinking skills to teach writing to weak ESL learners were captured and encapsulated to enable the ESL learners to understand and master higher order thinking to improve their writing. Methodology – A qualitative descriptive case study design was employed in the study. The sample was based on a snowball sampling and 4 ESL teachers were selected from two different secondary schools in Malaysia. The main data collection method was classroom observation while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Each teacher was observed twice. Classroom observation forms and video recordings were used as a main source in data collection. Findings – Findings showed that ESL teachers selected strategies to foster higher-order thinking skills to teach writing including the general procedures in implementing higher-order thinking skills for teaching writing and major considerations at each stage of the implementation. ESL teachers exposed learners to the general procedures of the higher-order thinking skills which were explaining and helping students to understand what higher-order thinking is, leading students to connect to concepts in writing, helping students to infer through real-life situations, using more graphic organizers and teaching problem-solving skills. Significance – The findings can be used to guide decisions on higher-order thinking skills training for ESL teachers, educators and curriculum developers regarding the thinking skills strategies to be mastered in teaching writing.

What affects learner's higher-order thinking in technology-enhanced learning environments? The effects of learner factors

Higher-order thinking has long been confirmed as a critical predictor of success, both in academia and the workplace. Widespread endeavors to foster higher-order thinking have involved implementing instructional design interventions that engage learners in complicated cognitive activities. One representative design approach is the technology-enhanced learning environment (TEL), in which technological affordances are used to facilitate learners' higher-order thinking activities. For such design factors to work as intended, however, learner factors such as epistemological beliefs, attitudes toward technology use, and approaches to learning must lay the groundwork for the design intervention. This study investigated how learner factors interactively affected higher-order thinking in the contexts of TEL. A total of 487 undergraduates enrolled in various courses across seven universities in South Korea participated in this study. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that learners' higher-order thinking was strongly and directly affected by deep learning approaches, but not by epistemological beliefs or attitudes toward technology use. Instead, these two factors indirectly affected higher-order thinking, mediated through the learner's deep learning approach. The theoretical and practical implications of the results for promoting higher-order thinking in TEL contexts are discussed.

Taking higher order thinking seriously: Using Marzano’s taxonomy in the economics classroom

This paper argues for the need for instructors to more intentionally foster higher order thinking skills in economics students, as these skills lend themselves to longer-lasting, more transferable knowledge. This paper proposes the use of Marzano’s taxonomy to aid in this endeavor. It provides a clear functional delineation between lower- and higher-order thinking, and serves as a natural way to systematically build a course around incrementally building up student thinking skills. We outline how it was used in course design for drafting student learning outcomes (SLOs), creating assessments for a Principles of Economics course, and leveraging it as a tool to provide more targeted feedback for students. Preliminary observations on the impact on student learning are presented.

Alignment of Learning Objectives and Assessments in Therapeutics Courses to Foster Higher-Order Thinking

To determine whether national educational outcomes, course objectives, and classroom assessments for 2 therapeutics courses were aligned for curricular content and cognitive processes, and if they included higher-order thinking. Document analysis and student focus groups were used. Outcomes, objectives, and assessment tasks were matched for specific therapeutics content and cognitive processes. Anderson and Krathwohl's Taxonomy was used to define higher-order thinking. Students discussed whether assessments tested objectives and described their thinking when responding to assessments. There were 7 outcomes, 31 objectives, and 412 assessment tasks. The alignment for content and cognitive processes was not satisfactory. Twelve students participated in the focus groups. Students thought more short-answer questions than multiple choice questions matched the objectives for content and required higher-order thinking. The alignment analysis provided data that could be used to reveal and strengthen the enacted curriculum and improve student learning.

Challenges in wide scale implementation efforts to foster higher order thinking (HOT) in science education across a whole school system

This study explores the challenges involved in scaling up projects and in implementing policies across the whole school system in the area of teaching higher order thinking (HOT) in Israeli science classrooms. Eight semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with science education experts who hold leading positions pertaining to learning and instruction on the state level of the following school subjects: elementary and junior- high school science and technology; high-school physics; high school chemistry; and high school biology. Some of the challenges that the interviews revealed are common to many types of educational change processes. The interviews also revealed several challenges which are more specific to the educational endeavor of teaching HOT according to the infusion approach across large numbers of classrooms: challenges involved in weaving HOT into multiple, varied, specific science contents; challenges involved in planning a reasonable and coherent developmental sequence of thinking goals; the fact that content goals tend to have priority over thinking goals and thus to disperse of the latter in policy documents and in implementation processes; and finally, the considerable challenges (pedagogical and organizational) involved in developing educators’ sound and deep professional knowledge in the area of teaching HOT and metacognition on a large, nation-wide scale. The data shows that wide-scale implementation of thinking in Israeli science classrooms often develops as an evolutionary rather than as a revolutionary process. The implications for designing large scale implementation programs aimed at fostering students’ reasoning are discussed.