Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model
Background: Critical thinking is recognised as the highest level of thinking, essential for exploring knowledge and generating new ideas. In the context of mathematics education, particularly at the elementary level, understanding how students engage in critical thinking when solving Higher Order Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
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University of Nigeria Department of Mass Communication
2026
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/1/123712.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/ https://zenodo.org/records/17707660 |
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| author | Siti Faizah Hassan, Aminuddin Mashfufah, Aynin Rahayuningsih, Sri Arifin, Slamet Rofiki, Imam Mariani, Sijah Sudirman, Sudirman |
| author_facet | Siti Faizah Hassan, Aminuddin Mashfufah, Aynin Rahayuningsih, Sri Arifin, Slamet Rofiki, Imam Mariani, Sijah Sudirman, Sudirman |
| author_sort | Siti Faizah |
| building | UPM Library |
| collection | Institutional Repository |
| content_provider | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| content_source | UPM Institutional Repository |
| continent | Asia |
| country | Malaysia |
| description | Background: Critical thinking is recognised as the highest level of thinking, essential for exploring knowledge and generating new ideas. In the context of mathematics education, particularly at the elementary level, understanding how students engage in critical thinking when solving Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) problems is particularly important. Objective: This study investigates students’ critical thinking processes in relation to their self-efficacy levels using the FRISCO framework—Focus, Reason, Inference, Situation, Clarity, and Overview—during the HOTS mathematical problem-solving process. Method: An exploratory case study design was conducted with 45 elementary school students. Data were gathered through a self-efficacy questionnaire, written tests, interviews, and content analysis of documentation to identify patterns and characteristics of students’ critical thinking processes. Results: Not all components of the FRISCO framework were fully demonstrated by the students. However, they were able to perform mathematical reasoning to formulate ideas and devise problem-solving strategies based on conceptual understanding. In interviews, they frequently used visual representations to clarify their thinking, especially in the 'Clarity' component. Additionally, elements of metacognition emerged spontaneously during the 'Overview' stage, suggesting self-initiated reflection without external intervention. Conclusion: Although elementary students do not consistently exhibit all components of the FRISCO framework, their demonstrated abilities in reasoning, use of visual clarification, and spontaneous metacognitive behaviours highlight a developing capacity for critical thinking. Unique Contribution: This study provides empirical insights into how young learners engage in higher-order thinking through the FRISCO lens, illustrating a novel application of the framework in elementary mathematics education and examining the moderating influence of self-efficacy. Key Recommendations: Educators should cultivate learning environments that foster metacognitive development and encourage the use of visual tools to aid conceptual clarity. Future research should investigate scaffolding strategies to strengthen each FRISCO component across varying levels of self-efficacy. |
| format | Article |
| id | my.upm.eprints-123712 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Nigeria Department of Mass Communication |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | my.upm.eprints-1237122026-03-17T05:38:52Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/ Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model Siti Faizah Hassan, Aminuddin Mashfufah, Aynin Rahayuningsih, Sri Arifin, Slamet Rofiki, Imam Mariani, Sijah Sudirman, Sudirman Background: Critical thinking is recognised as the highest level of thinking, essential for exploring knowledge and generating new ideas. In the context of mathematics education, particularly at the elementary level, understanding how students engage in critical thinking when solving Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) problems is particularly important. Objective: This study investigates students’ critical thinking processes in relation to their self-efficacy levels using the FRISCO framework—Focus, Reason, Inference, Situation, Clarity, and Overview—during the HOTS mathematical problem-solving process. Method: An exploratory case study design was conducted with 45 elementary school students. Data were gathered through a self-efficacy questionnaire, written tests, interviews, and content analysis of documentation to identify patterns and characteristics of students’ critical thinking processes. Results: Not all components of the FRISCO framework were fully demonstrated by the students. However, they were able to perform mathematical reasoning to formulate ideas and devise problem-solving strategies based on conceptual understanding. In interviews, they frequently used visual representations to clarify their thinking, especially in the 'Clarity' component. Additionally, elements of metacognition emerged spontaneously during the 'Overview' stage, suggesting self-initiated reflection without external intervention. Conclusion: Although elementary students do not consistently exhibit all components of the FRISCO framework, their demonstrated abilities in reasoning, use of visual clarification, and spontaneous metacognitive behaviours highlight a developing capacity for critical thinking. Unique Contribution: This study provides empirical insights into how young learners engage in higher-order thinking through the FRISCO lens, illustrating a novel application of the framework in elementary mathematics education and examining the moderating influence of self-efficacy. Key Recommendations: Educators should cultivate learning environments that foster metacognitive development and encourage the use of visual tools to aid conceptual clarity. Future research should investigate scaffolding strategies to strengthen each FRISCO component across varying levels of self-efficacy. University of Nigeria Department of Mass Communication 2026-01-05 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/1/123712.pdf Siti Faizah and Hassan, Aminuddin and Mashfufah, Aynin and Rahayuningsih, Sri and Arifin, Slamet and Rofiki, Imam and Mariani, Sijah and Sudirman, Sudirman (2026) Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 8 (1). pp. 283-297. ISSN 2735-9883; eISSN: 2735-9891 https://zenodo.org/records/17707660 Multidisciplinary 10.5281/zenodo.17707660 |
| spellingShingle | Multidisciplinary Siti Faizah Hassan, Aminuddin Mashfufah, Aynin Rahayuningsih, Sri Arifin, Slamet Rofiki, Imam Mariani, Sijah Sudirman, Sudirman Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title | Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title_full | Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title_fullStr | Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title_short | Investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) viewed from self-efficacy and FRISCO model |
| title_sort | investigating students' critical thinking in solving fractional problems based on higher order thinking skills (hots) viewed from self-efficacy and frisco model |
| topic | Multidisciplinary |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/1/123712.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123712/ https://zenodo.org/records/17707660 |
| url_provider | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/ |