Reading Between the Lines: Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Gains in Blended Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/ajelp.vol13.2.2.2025Keywords:
Blended Learning, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, Liveworksheet, reading, technologyAbstract
Blended learning has gained prominence as an effective teaching approach across educational levels and disciplines. In the English as a Second Language (ESL) context, it enables students to practice language skills collaboratively in class and independently in online environments. With an emphasis on the "analyzing" and "evaluating" skills in Bloom's Taxonomy, this study examines students’ performance in higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)-based reading tasks using traditional methods and blended learning. The research involved 25 Year 6 primary school students of mixed abilities from a school in the Perak Tengah district, Perak, Malaysia. Students' scores from both learning modalities were used to examine the data, which was gathered using a quantitative action research method. Findings revealed that students demonstrated significant improvement in HOTS-based reading tasks in blended learning compared to those taught using traditional methods. Notably, students showed greater development in evaluating skills than in analyzing skills, despite evaluation being a higher-order skill in Bloom's Taxonomy. This study highlights the potential of blended learning to enhance student engagement and support the development of complex cognitive skills. The implications suggest that blended learning could be extended to incorporate a wider range of HOTS activities across various subjects. Future research should examine the long-term effects of blended learning on academic performance and cognitive development.
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