Students' Ability to Solve Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Problems in Physics Instruction: A Literature Review

Abstract

This study aims to analyze students’ ability to solve Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions in physics learning based on a literature review. The method used is library research by examining 34 scientific articles obtained from various databases through the Google Scholar website in the period 2015–2025 using the keywords HOTS, constraints, physics. The analysis process was carried out through stages of selection, data reduction, grouping, and descriptive-analytical synthesis to identify relevant patterns of findings. The results of the study show that students’ ability to solve HOTS questions is still relatively low. This is indicated by various difficulties experienced by students, namely suboptimal understanding of physics concepts, difficulty in determining problem-solving strategies, low analytical ability and comprehension of questions, limitations in the use of mathematical representations, as well as learning factors that have not fully supported the development of HOTS. In addition, the analysis of previous studies shows that most studies are still limited to certain aspects and have not comprehensively examined HOTS constraints. This research is expected to provide a comprehensive overview of students’ abilities and serve as a basis for the development of HOTS-based learning and evaluation instruments in physics learning.