Factors Affecting Teachers’ HOTS Implementation in Chinese College EFL Classrooms

Abstract

Reviewing previous HOTS studies in China revealed that the implementation and instruction of higher order thinking skills had not been widely adopted in Chinese college EFL education. Despite the unanimous agreement on the crucial role of fostering students' HOTS, the incorporation of HOTS is affected by many factors. With a mixed-method approach, this research aims to investigate the factors affecting Chinese college EFL teachers' HOTS implementation from the teacher's perspective. Data was collected from 100 Chinese college EFL teachers through quantitative questionnaires and structured interviews. The findings of this research suggest that implementing HOTS in the Chinese college EFL classroom is challenged by various factors, particularly those related to teacher, student, institutional, and environmental factors. The results also provide empirical evidence of the insufficient knowledge and proficiency in implementing HOTS among the surveyed teachers during their language teaching process. This implies the need to establish a supportive HOTS-promoting environment involving teachers, students, and administrators in successfully implementing HOTS instructions in Chinese college EFL classrooms.