Construction of a Teaching Strategy Model for Cultivating Higher-Order Thinking Skills in College Students

In the era of the knowledge economy, the intensification of the technological revolution and international competition have triggered a rethinking of the core competencies of talent in the 21st century by countries. Many countries have shifted their focus on talent development from specialized knowledge and skills to training in complex tasks and information-processing thinking. In higher education, guiding students to transition from lower-order thinking, such as memorisation and understanding of knowledge to higher-order thinking, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of various information is a vital aspect of the new era's innovative teaching model and the enhancement of talent cultivation. This study was conducted face-to-face interviews with 12 teachers with practical experience cultivating higher-order thinking skills using purposive sampling. The collected interview data were analysed and coded using nvivo software and qualitative research methods, constructing five teaching strategy models for cultivating higher-order thinking skills in college students: scaffolding instruction, heuristic instruction, project-based instruction, collaborative learning, and diversified assessment feedback.