Constraints faced by technical teachers in the application of higher order thinking skills in the teaching process at vocational colleges

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) play an important role in higher education learning. HOTS are a set of skills that use a concept that encourages individuals, especially students, to think outside the box. In other words, HOTS represent different individual preferences and strengths in learning and can be a stimulus for developing new ways of learning. The purpose of this research was to identify the problems faced by technical teachers in applying HOTS in the teaching process at vocational colleges. A total of four respondents from vocational colleges were randomly selected as samples. This is a qualitative research using only interviews to explore the perspective of teachers when applying HOTS in their teaching process, their perspective on the application of HOTS in vocational subjects and the constraints they faced in applying HOTS. The findings indicated that they faced several constraints in the application of HOTS in their teaching process at vocational colleges. It was found that it is not suitable to apply HOTS for vocational subjects, as the technical teachers lack knowledge of HOTS and also lack the training needed to be able to apply HOTS in vocational subjects.