Analysis of mathematics critical thinking ability of junior high school students in solving HOTS-based problems in view of numeracy ability

Critical thinking skills affect students numeracy skills in solving HOTS-based problems. Students need to be able to think critically in order to meet today's problems, particularly in the field of education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate students' critical thinking and numeracy abilities in addressing HOTS-based tasks. This type of research is qualitative research where the method used is descriptive method. This research uses data analysis techniques in the form of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. Data collection techniques in this study used critical thinking ability tests and numeracy tests. In addition to data collection techniques using tests, researchers also use additional techniques to collect data, namely using interview and observation techniques as additional information. The subject of this study is grade VIII students at MTs Negeri 4 Boyolali. Based on numeracy skills, three subjects were taken, namely high, medium, and low. The results showed that students with high numeracy skills met six aspects, while students with moderate numeracy skills met five aspects, and students with low numeracy skills met three aspects. One way to improve students ability to think critically is to give them some HOTS questions that can help them think critically. In addition, this research provides valuable information on how the math learning process can be improved and this can help teachers create better learning strategies.