Analysis of Arabic Textbook Instruction from the Perspective of Bloom’s Taxonomy: Implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in Madrasah Aliyah

Moh Iqbal Dwi Hidayatullah; Hanik Mahliatussikah; Sawabila Irfanah; Mahbub Humaidi Aziz; Nab'han Hadyan Adnan

doi:10.58485/jie.v5i2.751

Authors

Moh Iqbal Dwi Hidayatullah Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
Hanik Mahliatussikah Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
Sawabila Irfanah Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia
Mahbub Humaidi Aziz Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Indonesia
Nab'han Hadyan Adnan Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58485/jie.v5i2.751

Keywords:

Arabic teaching materials, the Merdeka Curriculum, Bloom’s Taxonomy

Abstract

The Merdeka Curriculum emphasizes the development of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) as part of the 21st-century competencies that students must possess. Therefore, assessment instruments in textbooks need to be designed to measure not only recall and comprehension but also the ability to analyze, evaluate, and create. The purpose of this study is to identify the distribution of cognitive levels in the first- and second-semester practice questions and to analyze the contribution of the Arabic textbook based on Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive levels. This study employs a qualitative approach using content analysis. The research subject consists of all practice test items for both semesters in the Arabic textbook for 10th-grade Madrasah Aliyah under the Merdeka Curriculum, published by PT Optima Intermedia. Data were collected through a documentary study and analyzed based on the six cognitive levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy: C1 (remembering), C2 (understanding), C3 (applying), C4 (analyzing), C5 (evaluating), and C6 (creating). The results showed that all cognitive levels were present in the analyzed questions. The distribution of questions consisted of 27.14% in the LOTS category, 15.71% in the MOTS category, and 57.14% in the HOTS category. In the HOTS category, level C4 accounted for 15.71%, C5 for 31.43%, and C6 for 10.00%, with category C5 being the most dominant level. The results of the study show that all cognitive levels were found in the analyzed questions. The distribution of questions consisted of 27.14% LOTS, 15.71% MOTS, and 57.14% HOTS. Within the HOTS category, level C4 accounted for 15.71%, C5 for 31.43%, and C6 for 10.00%, with category C5 being the most dominant level. These findings indicate that the midterm practice questions are oriented toward the development of higher-order thinking skills and support the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, particularly in strengthening critical reasoning skills. However, the proportion of questions at the C6 level remains relatively low; therefore, the development of questions that better accommodate creative thinking is necessary to achieve a more balanced distribution of cognitive levels and to optimally support the development of students’ competencies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2023). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assesing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives (jurhrodin). (complete). Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Anggraini, F., Niatapia, S., Cahayanti, A. Z., Safitri, S., & Nendra, F. (2026). Analisis Kemampuan Higher Order Thingking Skills (Hots) Peserta Didik Pada Pembelajaran Matematika Kurikulum Merdeka. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 11((02)), 248-257. https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v11i02.46291

Anidar, J., Nursyamsi, N. Diminurman, A., & Engkizar, E. (2026). Building religious character in students: a qualitative study of youth information and counseling centers. Jurnal Konseling Dan Pendidikan, 14(1), 194–204. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.29210/1158400

Azhar, M., Wahyudi, H., & Yolanda, D. (2024). Integrasi Teknologi dalam Buku Ajar : Menyongsong Keterampilan Abad 21. Uluwwul Himmah Education Research Jurnal, 1(1), 47–53. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383211012_Integrasi_Teknologi_dalam_Buku_Ajar_Menyongsong_Keterampilan_Abad_21

Aziz, M. H., Hidayat, A. F. S., Isnainiyah, I., Annas, A., Rahman, R. A., Buhori, B., & Haq, M. A. (2026). Formation of Socially Caring Character and Humble Behavior Through Arabic Language Learning in Islamic High Schools. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 14(2), 1325–1348. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v14i2.2441

Ch, D. R., & Saha, S. K. (2023). Generation of Multiple-Choice Questions From Textbook Contents of School-Level Subjects. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 16(1), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1109/TLT.2022.3224232

Chang, C. C., Chen, C. Y., Lee, H. S., & Lee, C. C. (2024). Benchmarking Cognitive Domains for LLMS: Insights from Taiwanese Hakka Culture. 2024 27th Conference on the Oriental COCOSDA International Committee for the Co-Ordination and Standardisation of Speech Databases and Assessment Techniques, O-COCOSDA 2024 - Proceedings, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/O-COCOSDA64382.2024.10800594

Davidson, R., & Liu, Y. (2020). Reaching the world outside: cultural representation and perceptions of global citizenship in Japanese elementary school English textbooks. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 33(1), 32–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2018.1560460

Efendi, E., Jaafar, A., & Engkizar, E. (2026). Muslim Women’s Leadership in Conflict Management in Higher Education. Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan Dan Ilmu Tarbiyah, 11(2), 826–838. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v11i2.30474

Engkizar, E., Jaafar, A., Alias, M. F. Bin, Guspita, R., & Albizar, A. (2025). Utilisation of Artificial Intelligence in Quranic Learning: Innovation or Threat? Journal of Quranic Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.67055/8170mw54

Engkizar, E., Jaafar, A., Hamzah, M. I., Syafril, S., Febriani, A., Oktavia, G., & Satrial, A. (2026). Quran Teachers’ Skills as Pedagogical Foundations: Conceptual and Practical Insights into Nine Competencies. Muaddib: Journal of Islamic Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.67055/xt598c43

Engkizar, E., Jaafar, A., Hamzah, M. I., Syafril, S., Oktavia, G., Febriani, A., & Albizar, A. (2026). Tartil Method as an Effective Strategy for Transforming Students’ Positive Attitudes in Learning the Qur’an. Journal of Quranic Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 50–63. https://doi.org/10.67055/y3htyp95

Engkizar, E., Jaafar, A., Sarianto, D., Ayad, N., Rahman, A., Febriani, A., Oktavia, G., Puspita, R., & Rahman, I. (2024). Analysis of Quran Education Problems in Majority Muslim Countries. International Journal of Islamic Studies Higher Education, 3(1), 65–80. https://doi.org/10.24036/insight.v3i1.209

Engkizar, E., Sarianti, Y., Namira, S., Budiman, S., Susanti, H., & Albizar, A. (2022). Five Methods of Quran Memorization in Tahfidz House of Fastabiqul Khairat Indonesia. International Journal of Islamic Studies Higher Education, 1(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.24036/insight.v1i1.27

Fadhilah, F., & Mu’ammanah, F. A. (2023). Karakteristik Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab (Karakteristik Bahan Ajar Bahasa Arab di Madrasah Aliyah). Jurnal Global Ilmiah, 1(3), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.55324/jgi.v1i3.36

Faradella, N. E., Wiyaka, W., & Egar, N. (2024). Teachers’ strategies and challenges in conducting HOTS-based activities in Merdeka Curriculum era. Indonesian Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 1(2), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.61251/ijoep.v1i2.64

Gläser-Zikuda, M., Hagenauer, G., & Stephan, M. (2020). The potential of qualitative content analysis for empirical educational research. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 21(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-21.1.3443

Hong, Y. (2024). Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Evaluate HOTS in the Tasks of the Chinese Grade 7 English Textbook. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 42, 756–762. https://doi.org/10.54097/vxdb4505

Htay, S. S., Po, E. T. H., & Kaewkanlaya, P. (2025). Building Student Character through Worship in Elementary Schools. Muaddib: Journal of Islamic Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 55–63. https://muaddib.intischolar.id/index.php/muaddib/article/view/11

Ilmia, S. F., Khilmi, R. K., Setyawan, C. E., & Maskanah, M. (2023). Critical Review of the 2023 Tenth Grade Arabic Textbook for Madrasah Aliyah under Kurikulum Merdeka. Alsina : Journal of Arabic Studies, 5(2), 231–256. https://doi.org/10.21580/alsina.5.2.20893

Jaafar, A., Kamaruzaman, N. R., & Idris, M. (2025). The Concept and Practice of Islamic Education in Realizing Peace in Society. Muaddib: Journal of Islamic Teaching and Learning, 1(2), 24–35. https://muaddib.intischolar.id/index.php/muaddib/article/view/10

Junus, M., & Syam, M. (2020). Analisis Ranah Kognitif Soal Latihan Berdasarkan Taksonomi Bloom Revisi pada Buku Fisika Kelas X (Studi pada Buku Karya Ni Ketut Lasmi). Jurnal Literasi Pendidikan Fisika (JLPF), 1(02), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.30872/jlpf.v1i02.337

Karuru, P., Muta’allim, Suparjo, Setiawan, A. F., & Junaida, S. (2023). Improving Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills Through a Question and Answer Method. RETORIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa, 9(3), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.22225/jr.9.3.2023.340-349

Krippendorff, K. (2022). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. In Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071878781

Lubis, M. U., Siagian, F. A., Zega, Z., Nuhdin, N., & Nasution, A. F. (2023). Pengembangan Kurikulum Merdeka Sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Keterampilan Abad 21 Dalam Pendidikan. ANTHOR: Education and Learning Journal, 2(5), 691–695. https://doi.org/10.31004/anthor.v1i5.222

Mahendra, E. (2023). Oral Assessment in Triggering Student Higher-Order Thinking Skills (Hots). JISAE: Journal of Indonesian Student Assessment and Evaluation, 9(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.21009/jisae.v9i1.32928

Mahrus, M. (2021). Manajemen Kurikulum dan Pembelajaran dalam Sistem Pendidikan Nasional. JIEMAN: Journal of Islamic Educational Management, 3(1), 41–80. https://doi.org/10.35719/jieman.v3i1.59

Maity, S., Deroy, A., & Sarkar, S. (2024). How Effective is GPT-4 Turbo in Generating School-Level Questions from Textbooks Based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy? https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.15211

Maulana, R. (2022). Analisis Capaian Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab dengan Taksonomi Bloom Revisi. Jurnal PTK Dan Pendidikan, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.18592/ptk.v8i2.7621

Mawar, M. T., Lutfia Septi Ayuni, L. S. A., Luthfiah Nur Ramadhani, L. N. R., & Miftakhul Huda, M. H. (2025). Relevansi Materi dan Perkembangan Kognitif pada Buku Pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia Kelas IX. Buletin Pengembangan Perangkat Pembelajaran, 7(2), 303–312. https://doi.org/10.23917/bppp.v7i2.11561

Melzer, J. C. B., & D. (2019). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom [Third Edition. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 11, Issue 1).

Nafiati, D. A. (2021). Revisi taksonomi Bloom: Kognitif, afektif, dan psikomotorik. Humanika, 21(2), 151–172. https://doi.org/10.21831/hum.v21i2.29252

Nirmala, Z., Studi, P., Agama, P., Islam, U., & Imam, N. (2024). Analisis soal asesmen sumatif pembelajaran fiqih ditinjau berdasarkan tipe hots menggunakan taksonomi bloom. Jurnal_ep, 14(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpepi.v14i1.3709

Nizar, N., Pratama, R. T., & Mustafiyanti, M. (2024). Implementasi Kurikulum MBKM (Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka) Dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Pendidikan di Indonesia. ALFIHRIS : Jurnal Inspirasi Pendidikan, 2(1), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.59246/alfihris.v2i1.628

Oktavia, G., Ramadhany, N. F., Sabrina, V., & Sameto, M. B. (2020). Six Motivations of Housewives Following the Tahsin Alquran. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research of Higher Education, 3(2), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijmurhica.v3i2.190

Pangestuti, A. F. N., Ana, S. U., Syahra, E. F. A., & Sari, S. N. (2024). Analisis Distribusi Soal Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) dan Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) dalam Buku Ajar Bahasa Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Action Research, 3(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.14421/ijar.2024.31-03

Prakash, R., & Litoriya, R. (2022). Pedagogical Transformation of Bloom Taxonomy’s LOTs into HOTs: An Investigation in Context with IT Education. Wireless Personal Communications, 122(1), 725–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-021-08921-2

Rifai, M. H., Mamoh, O., Mauk, V., Nahak, K. E. N., Harpriyanti, H., Nahak, M. M. N., Umar, Rejeki, S., Lasi, F., Jaya, D. M., & Abbas, I. (2024). Kurikulum Merdeka (Implementasi dan Pengaplikasian).

Rosa, E., Destian, R., Agustian, A., & Wahyudin, W. (2024). Inovasi Model dan Strategi Pembelajaran dalam Implementasi Kurikulum Merdeka. Journal of Education Research, 5(3), 2608–2617. https://doi.org/10.37985/jer.v5i3.1153

Roza, Y., Id, I. D., Andriyani, Y., Kurniawan, R., & Adnan, A. (2025). Toward Precision on Evaluation: Hierarchical Weighting-Based Assessment on Implementation of Outcome-Based Curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies Research, 7(2), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcsr.2025.11

Salmons, J. (2023). Learning To Collaborate, Collaborating To Learn: Engaging Students in the Classroom and Online. In Learning to Collaborate, Collaborating to Learn: Engaging Students in the Classroom and Online. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003445708

Saminu, M., Athari, Z., & Langputeh, S. (2025). Inclusive Approaches to Quranic Memorization: A Case Study of Tahfiz Methods for Learners with Disabilities. Journal of Theory and Research Memorization Quran, 1(2), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.67055/gte8q955

Santika, I. G. N., Suarni, N. K., & Lasmawan, I. W. (2022). Analisis Perubahan Kurikulum Ditinjau Dari Kurikulum Sebagai Suatu Ide. Jurnal Education and Development, 10(3), 694–700. https://doi.org/10.37081/ed.v10i3.3690

Seminikhyna, N. M., & Lutsenko, O. V. (2024). the Role of Education in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Innovate Pedagogy, 8(77), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.32782/2663-6085/2024/77.44

Setiadi, A. H., Aziz, M. H., Ainin, M., & Rosyidi, A. W. (2024). Design of Heyzine Flipbook Based Arabic E-Module as an Alternative Teaching Material for Basic’s Level. An Nabighoh, 26(2), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.32332/an-nabighoh.v26i2.195-216

Sholihah, A. M., & Astuti, D. S. (2025). Analisis Tingkat Kognitif Pada Soal Buku Teks IPA Kelas VII Berdasarkan Taksonomi Bloom (Revisi). Bioscientist : Jurnal Ilmiah Biologi, 13(1), 126. https://doi.org/10.33394/bioscientist.v13i1.14911

Surono, Pratolo, B. W., & Hanun, S. L. (2022). Analysis of HOTS and LOTS of instructional questions in the English textbook “When English Rings a Bell” for grade VIII. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 5(3), 240–252. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v5i3.8168

Tahir, A. M., Farahdiba, S., & Sunra, L. (2023). Higher Order Thinking Skills in Critical Reading Class: an Analysis on Students’ Perception. Journal of Technology in Language Pedagogy (JTechLP), 2(4), 685–698. https://doi.org/10.26858/jtechlp.v2i4

Thayyibah, U., Maswani, & Ubaid Ridlo. (2025). Telaah Penyajian Materi Dan Teknik Evaluasi Buku Ajar Bahasa Arab Kelas X Madrasah Aliyah. Al-Kilmah, 4(2), 68–82. https://doi.org/10.58194/al-kilmah.v4i2.3194

Van Damme, D., Zahner, D., Cortellini, O., Dawber, T., & Rotholz, K. (2023). Assessing and developing critical-thinking skills in higher education. European Journal of Education, 58(3), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12563