Abstract:

This paper aims at scrutinizing teaching and assessment practices to foster Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) amongst students enrolled in pre-service teacher education B.ED 4 Years program. It also covers the practices of Teacher Educators and Student-teachers in pre-service teacher education programs. Learning of HOTSs (critical, creative, problem-solving) enables individuals to think logically and respond to the challenges of the 21st century. Mixed method research was applied to collect data in two phases. In the first phase, quantitative data gathered applying the Observation Scale (OS) from Teacher Educators that was triangulated by Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) with Student-teachers and indepth interviews with the Teacher Educators in the second phase of the study. The purposive and criterion sampling techniques were used to select participants from the institutions offering pre-service teacher education programs in Pakistan. The results revealed that teachers using teaching techniques and assessment practices are not supporting to foster higher HOTS in Student-teachers due to grade centric and judicial mode of assessment. The use of traditional pedagogies, teachers’ attitudes, and infrastructural challenges are major barrios to foster the teaching of HOTS. The study has significant implications for teaching and assessment practices to embed HOTS in teacher education programs.

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