Exploring Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Awareness in Listening Among Undergraduate EFL Students.

Abstract

This study investigated undergraduate EFL students’ awareness of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in listening comprehension. Using a quantitative survey design, data were collected from 74 undergraduate students in the English Department at the College of Janzour, Tripoli, Libya. A self-administered questionnaire comprising 20 Likert-scale items was used to examine students' perceived awareness of HOTS during listening tasks, including problem-solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, and metacognitive awareness. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that students exhibited generally moderate to high HOTS awareness, particularly in identifying main ideas, recognising key details, activating prior knowledge, and demonstrating strong metacognitive awareness of the listening process. However, confidence was lower in higher-order skills that require deeper cognitive processing, such as inferring implicit meaning, evaluating the strength of arguments, and predicting upcoming information. These findings suggest that although students recognise the importance of higher-order thinking in listening comprehension, they struggle to apply these skills consistently during complex listening tasks. This study highlights the need for explicit instructional strategies that integrate HOTS-focused activities into listening instruction to support learners in moving from awareness to effective application.