The teaching of Thirukkural based on HOTS among the students of Tamil primary schools in the state of Perak

Abstract

This research is a study which is conducted under the Sultan Idris Education University's University Research Grant. The purpose of this study is to measure the mastery of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) among the teacher of Tamil Primary Schools in the state of Perak and the mastery of questioning technique based on Bloom's Taxonomy using HOTS in the teaching of Thirukkural. The approach of quantitative was employed to obtain the data of the research. 80 teachers were chosen as samples from four different schools in Perak to elicit information pertaining to the mastery of HOTS among educators. Through the grading which was conducted by referring to SPSS, the results of the research revealed that the mastery of HOTS among teachers in this category is average and weak from the eight criteria which were studied. This show the efforts that are taken by the Malaysian Ministry of Education provide less impact on the teachers in understanding and mastering HOTS. Meanwhile, a quantitative method was used to understand the mastery questioning techniques of teachers for the HOTS questions. The teaching and learning method of Thirukkural for Year 5 was observed in two schools to elicit data for the mentioned purpose. Interviews were also conducted with two Year 5 Tamil teachers who were observed. The overall findings reveal that 51.3% are able to list out HOTS questions. This is a good scenario in integrating HOTS in students. In conclusion, through this research, it can be said that the teaching and learning of Thirukkural in the classroom can foster the higher order thinking among the students of Tamil Primary Schools excellently. However, it is very much dependant on the questioning techniques of teachers which encourage them towards it. The research findings will benefit educators and agencies involved in implementing the teaching and learning of Thirukkural effectively in fostering HOTS among students.