The Process of Students’ Higher Order Thinking Around Coffee Plantation Area in Solving Open-Ended Problems Related to Coffee Theme

Abstract

This research aims to describe the high-order-thinking process of students around coffee plantation in solving open-ended problems on topics germane to coffee. The present study was a descriptive research with qualitative approach. The research participants were 80 students chosen from elementary and primary high schools around a coffee plantation. High order thinking skill denotes the ability to think critically and deploy metacognition capacity encompassing the following indicators: (1) the ability to solve the problems, (2) the ability to give reason and evidence, (3) the ability to communicate, and (4) the ability to reflect and evaluate. The research results indicated that elementary school students tended to have problem-solving ability related to themes regarding coffee with different possible answers, but they were unable to provide logical reasons and evidences, and they were unable to reflect and evaluate the answers given. Furthermore, students’ high order thinking skill in junior high school around the coffee plantation was also not maximal in that students were only able to provide various answers correctly along with the logical reasons and evidences. However, those junior high school students were unable to reflect and evaluate on the process of solving open-ended problems. In general, the tendency of the students around coffee plantation indicated that the students did not have a maximum high order thinking skill in solving the open-ended problems related to themes pertinent to coffee. It was because the students still had yet to master satisfactory metacognition ability, particularly germane to the ability to reflect and evaluate and the ability to give logical reasons and evidences.