Development of a Cognitive Assessment Instrument Based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS): A Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to map trends, development methods, and the feasibility of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based cognitive assessment instruments for the 2019–2025 period. Using the PRISMA 2020 approach, 31 relevant articles were selected from academic databases for analysis using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The review results indicate a dominant shift to Complex Multiple Choice (41.7%) and Structured Essay (33.3%) formats. The Research and Development (R&D) method, using the ADDIE model, has become the primary instrument for assessing critical thinking and problem-solving skills (C4–C5) across various disciplines. Although the developed instrument has demonstrated high validity and reliability through expert testing and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), this study identifies crucial challenges in the field. The findings indicate low teacher pedagogical readiness (80.6%) and low student learning completion rates during the implementation stage, underscoring the need to strengthen educators' capacity to implement HOTS-based assessments effectively.