Year Five Students' Perceptions of HOTS-Based 21st Century Learning (PAK-21) in Islamic Education: Interest, Understanding, Perceived learning skills, and Active Involvement

Abstract

This study examined Year Five students' acceptance of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based 21st Century Learning (Pembelajaran Abad Ke-21; PAK-21) in Islamic Education. Specifically, the study explored four dimensions of student acceptance: interest, understanding, Perceived learning skills, and active involvement. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey design was employed. Data were collected from 102 Year Five students who had experienced HOTS-based PAK-21 learning activities in Islamic Education through purposive sampling. The instrument consisted of a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and skewness. The findings indicated that students reported high levels of acceptance across all four dimensions. The mean scores ranged from 4.34 to 4.48, with interest recording the highest mean (M = 4.48), followed by understanding (M = 4.47), Perceived learning skills (M = 4.44), and active involvement (M = 4.34). The response distributions were generally negatively skewed, indicating that most respondents selected favorable response categories. This pattern also suggests the possibility of a ceiling effect, where responses were concentrated at the upper end of the scale. Overall, the findings suggest that the participating students reported favorable perceptions of HOTS-based PAK-21 learning in Islamic Education. However, as the study relied on self-reported questionnaire data collected from a purposive sample within a single educational context, the findings should be interpreted as evidence of students' reported perceptions rather than as proof of learning effectiveness, HOTS mastery, or the effectiveness of the PAK-21 approach. Future studies are recommended to incorporate achievement measures, classroom observations, or mixed-methods designs to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of students' learning experiences.