"ZAMONAVIY TADQIQOTLAR VA BARQAROR RIVOJLANISH" respublika ilmiy-amaliy konferensiyasi
THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS IN EFL ORAL COMMUNICATION
Master of Arts in TESOL, English Teacher Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Annotatsiya
Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) have become an essential component of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education because they encourage learners to think critically while using the target language. Although speaking instruction has traditionally focused on developing pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, effective oral communication also requires learners to analyze information, evaluate ideas, and produce meaningful responses. This paper examines the importance of HOTS in EFL oral communication by synthesizing three complementary theoretical perspectives: Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) revised Bloom's Taxonomy, Mayer's (2002) Cognitive Theory of Learning, and Ellis's (2003) Second Language Acquisition framework. It also reviews findings from the empirical studies of Yin et al. (2024) and Jannah et al. (2026), which investigate the integration of HOTS into speaking instruction and assessment. The analysis suggests that cognitively engaging speaking activities enhance learners
Kalit so'zlar: : higher-order thinking skills, oral communication, EFL, speaking, critical thinking, communicative competence