Enhancing EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension: Developing a HOTS-M Module for Grade 10 (Oman)

The 21st century has placed demands on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in the education sector.Reading provides learners with plenty of information in many different fields, and the readers can gain different and up-to-date knowledge.However, reading is regarded as one of the most complex skills to be learned and taught, and EFL learners face difficulties in dealing with reading texts.Most studies advocate that there is a close relationship between reading comprehension and HOTS.Integrating different HOTS strategies in the reading classroom has improved learners' reading comprehension skills.To obtain sustainable and effective reading comprehension, higher-level thinking skills are required.In the demand for enhanced EFL learners' reading comprehension competency, a HOTS module (HOTS-M) was developed to benefit educational policymakers, curriculum designers, teachers, and students.In this study, the module targets teachers who teach reading comprehension to 10 th -grade EFL learners in Oman.Based on six expert interviews, this research aimed to identify essential strategies and activities required to develop the HOTS-M with the intention of providing a comprehensive resource to enhance English language education for 10 th -grade EFL learners.Based on the analysis, the result confirmed that Questioning Strategies, Graphic organizers, Collaboration work, Critical Reading, Inference strategies ,and using technology had significant contributions to developing EFL learners' HOTS in reading comprehension.Based on the results, this module could benefit students, teachers, and curriculum designers as it demonstrated the effectiveness of HOTS-M in promoting 10 th -grade learners' reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in English classrooms.This study is providing policymakers and curriculum designers in the Ministry of Education an opportunity to consider this study, and that is by revisiting the current curriculum and educational methods and trying to change when it is necessary.