Development and validation of Mathematical Higher‐Order Thinking Scale for high school students

Abstract Globally, significant attention is given to the cultivation and evaluation of Mathematical Higher‐Order Thinking Skills (MHOTS). This study aims to address the gap in developing and validating suitable MHOTS structures for high school students. In this study, 53 items were determined by experts in the field of mathematics education and scale development. The study group of this study consists of 654 students educated at the high school level. We decided to split the samples randomly in two by designating a random half as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the other half as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA was used to confirm a robust “four‐dimensional, nine‐factor” measurement structure, encompassing four key dimensions, namely mathematical critical thinking, mathematical creative thinking, mathematical problem‐solving, and mathematical metacognitive skills. The scale's quality was assessed through a retest using CFA and the structural validity was evaluated through CFA and correlation analysis. The criterion validity of the scale was also examined using math scores. The results from the double validity analysis showed that the scale had a reasonable and valid structure. The findings established the MHOTS for high school students as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the level of MHOTS among high school students. This newly developed scale holds promise as an effective tool to assess and enhance mathematical higher‐order thinking in the student population.