Issues and challenges of the implementation of hots in religious teaching in Malaysia

Mohd Syaubari Othman

Abstract

The application of High Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in the teaching and learning system of Dini Integrated Curriculum (DIC) and Tahfiz Integrated Curriculum (TIC) is in line with its main goal which is to produce balanced and excellent students based on 'aqli and naqli to prepare future scholars and religious muthaqqaf. This is because the ability to relate 'aqli and naqli requires dynamic reasoning ability. However, DIC and TIC are new curricula that have been appointed as the national curriculum in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to explore the issues experienced by teachers in conducting HOTS-based teaching in the DIC and TIC curriculum. This study is a qualitative case study conducted on a group of eight experts who are directly involved in the DIC and TIC system. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically. The findings of the study showed that there are five main issues faced by teachers; namely related to Arabic language proficiency, understanding for the application of HOTs, knowledge of pedagogy, content mastery and student readiness factors. This study is expected to provide recommendations to the Islamic Education Division (BPI) and the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) from the aspect of strengthening the effectiveness of teaching HOTs in religious teaching in Malaysia. Keywords: Higher Order Thinking Skills, Religious Teaching, Teaching and Learning, Issues

References

Tamuri, A. H. (2007). Islamic Education teachers' perceptions of the teaching of akhlāq in Malaysian secondary schools. Journal of Moral Education, 36(3), 371-386.

Tamuri, A. H. (2015). Standardization of Islamic Education excellence in the world. Tinta Artikulasi Membina Ummah, 1(2), 109-120.

Tamuri, A. H. (2016). Keberkesanan guru dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran mata pelajaran Pendidikan Islam. In Mohd Farid Mohd Shahran & Nor Hartini Saari (Eds.), Guru Cemerlang Pendidikan Islam: Persediaan dan Cabaran (pp. 1-30). IKIM Press.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Teacher Learning that Supports Student Learning. Presseisen, B. Z. Teaching for Intelligence Second Edition. Corwin Press.

Fisher, R. (2007). Dialogic teaching: developing thinking and metacognition through philosophical discussion. Early Child Development and Care 177 (6-7): 615-631.

Haddad, F. S. (1974). An early Arab theory of instruction. International Journal of Middle East Studies 5(3): 240-259.

Hamzah, M. I., Zhaffar, N. M. & Razak, K. A. (2018). Barriers in teaching critical thinking in Islamic education. Creative Education, 9(14), 2350-2356. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2018.914175

Islamic Education Division. (2015). Maklumat Asas Pelaksanaan Kurikulum Bersepadu Dini. Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Ghani, K. A., Hassan, A. T,, Rahman, A. A., Noh, M. A. C., Mat, M. Z. A., Ismail, Z., Hashim, A., Hussin, S., Habil, R. & Salleh, S.A.M. (2018). Pelaksanaan bahasa Arab dalam pelaksanaan Kurikulum Bersepadu Dini di SABK. Jurnal Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah Special Issue (2018): 644-656.

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Badron, M. S. (2009). Zaman ledakan maklumat dan kemajuan pengetahuan dalam kerangka pandangan hidup Islam. AFKAR 10: 83-108.

Nor, N., Suhaimi, N., Wahab, N. S. A., Ismail, M. K. C., Noh, M. A. C., & Razak, K. A. (2015). Pelaksanaan KBAT dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Pendidikan Islam Sekolah Menengah: Satu Tinjauan di Putrajaya. Proceeding of 7th International Seminar on Regional Education (1), Pekan baru Riau Indonesia, (pp. 361-375).

Hashim, R., Hussien, S., & Juperi, J. A. (2014). The Hikmah (Wisdom) Program: A philosophical inquiry for the teaching of Islamic education in Malaysia. In S. Buang & P. G. Chew (Eds.), Muslim education in the 21st Century (pp.124-141). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315817873

Sternberg, R. J. (1987). Teaching critical thinking: eight easy ways to fail before you begin. The phi delta kappan 68(6), 456-459.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Sage Publication Inc.

Hussien, S. (2007). Critical pedagogy, islamisation of knowledge and muslim education. Intellectual discourse, 15(1), 85-104. Https://journals.iium.edu.my/intdiscourse/index.php/id/article/view/62

Daud, W. M. N. W. (2007). Budaya Ilmu: Satu Penjelasan. Singapore: Pustaka Nasional Pte Ltd.

Al-Zarnuji, B. I. (2004). Ta’lim al-Muta’alim Thariq al-ta’llum. Al-Dar Al Soudania for book