MEASURING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS IN SCIENCE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS USING ITEM RESPONSE THEORY

Abstract

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are crucial competence in education. Higher-order thinking skills can help learners solve problems and decision making efficiently by anticipating connections between divergent ideas. The present study aims to develop reliable and valid instruments to assess higher-order thinking skills in science among primary school students. The study followed eight stages of developing a model adapted from a previous study. The total sample of this research comprised 428 fifth-grade students from six primary schools located in urban and rural areas in Mongolia. The gathered data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and STATA 16.0 to examine the item characteristics curve, test reliability, and item correlation. The study recommends developing creativity skills through exercise-based activities, so those item developers could produce reliable and valid instruments to assess HOTS.  Article visualizations: