Measuring Stimulating Higher-Order Thinking (SHOT) Among Elementary School: Constructions and Factor Analysis

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) are essential competencies that need to be developed starting in elementary school to support students’ critical, analytical, and creative thinking abilities. Instruments capable of comprehensively measuring HOTS in elementary school students are still limited and have not yet received sufficient empirical evidence of validity. This study aims to test the construct validity of Stimulating Higher-Order Thinking (SHOT) as an instrument for measuring HOTS in elementary school students. This study employed a quantitative approach with an ex post facto design involving 363 elementary school students in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through a closed-ended questionnaire covering six dimensions: Perceived Relevance (PR), Perceived Student Ability (PSA), Self-Efficacy (SE), Context-Dependency (CD), Teaching Activities (TA), and Encouraging Students (ES). Data analysis was conducted using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results of the study indicate that the SHOT construct is multidimensional and is represented by six main dimensions. An evaluation of the measurement model shows that all constructs meet the criteria for convergent validity and composite reliability, although some dimensions still exhibit high conceptual interrelatedness. This study concludes that the SHOT construct has the potential to serve as a conceptual framework for representing HOTS in elementary school students; however, several indicators still need refinement to strengthen its psychometric quality. The contribution of this study lies in providing empirical evidence regarding the structure of the SHOT construct in the context of elementary education. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of cognitive, affective, and contextual dimensions into a single, more comprehensive HOTS measurement framework.