TEM Journal. Volume 10, Issue 2, Pages 858‐863, ISSN 2217‐8309, DOI: 10.18421/TEM102-46, May 2021. 858 TEM Journal – Volume 10 / Number 2 / 2021. Analysis of Pupils´ Higher and Lower Order Thinking Skills in Traffic Education Monika Valentová 1 , Peter Brečka 1 , Ivana Tureková 1 1 Department of Technology and Information Technologies, Faculty of Education, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Dražovská cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia Abstract - The effectiveness of education process from teachers´ perspective, as well as application of teaching strategies for enhancing Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), is becoming an increasingly frequent subject of discussion across various fields. Bloom's taxonomy is known as the classification of educational goals. This has become the groundwork for many educators worldwide, who are using it to design activities for developing HOTS. This preliminary case- study analyses knowledge of traffic and road safety within pupils, as well as their level of thinking skills in this field with emphasis on analytical skills and risk assessment in traffic. A didactic test was assembled to examine the level of thinking of 4 th grade primary school pupils. The results showed that pupils´ level of knowledge in the field is age-adequate; however, in application of HOTS, as well as risk assessment, there is room for improvement. Keywords – road safety, educational, pupils, primary school, HOTS, LOTS. 1. Introduction Road safety has been the subject of educational authorities [1] and of persistent international focus due to the widespread economic and social consequences of road accidents, especially fatalities, among young people [2]. Statistical analyses of road DOI: 10.18421/TEM102-46 https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM102-46 Corresponding author: Peter Brečka, Department of Technology and Information Technologies, Faculty of Education, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia. Email: pbrecka@ukf.sk Received: 24 March 2021. Revised: 15 April 2021. Accepted: 21 April 2021. Published: 27 May 2021. © 2021 Monika Valentová, Peter Brečka & Ivana Tureková; published by UIKTEN. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution‐ NonCommercial‐NoDerivs 4.0 License. The article is published with Open Access at www.temjournal.com accidents have shown that children aged 5 to 14 are the most vulnerable group. Children of this age are at higher risk of injury, especially as pedestrians and cyclists [3]. This has been confirmed by the World Health Organization. WHO included road accidents among the top four most common causes of death in children aged 5 to 14 [4]. The issue of road safety resonates quite intensively in scientific and pedagogical community, too. The purpose of this focus has been the continuous proposal of optimal prevention measures and strategic approaches in this area since 2005. This arises from the joint effort of multiple OECD countries from 2004, according to which Road Safety Education (RSE) will become a priority in schools [5]. RSE has been recognized as the key method of reducing accident rate [6], [7], [8]. An important prerequisite for successful RSE is teaching student’s awareness of dangers. According to Alonso [9], knowledge of traffic standards alone does not warrant safe behaviour, it needs to be combined with risk awareness and positive attitude towards road safety. Risk awareness is directly related to risky and dangerous behaviour of children and young people on the road [10]. Thus, it is not enough for pupils to merely learn the rules or remember them. It is necessary for children to know how to apply them in practice and to be able to observe their surroundings, perceive and evaluate the risks, and adapt their behaviour. Inability to scan the surrounding environment effectively and actively for information on traffic, inconsistent behaviour, and insufficiently developed risk perception are the most frequent factors boosting the risk of accidents in traffic among children [11]. Education should, therefore, lead to adjustments in pupils' behaviour on the road [8], [12]. It is necessary for them to develop thinking skills beyond memorization that will lead them to identify hazards and behave more safely. 2. Education Towards Safety In Slovakia, education is one of the primary measures to prevent against injuries on the road among children and young people. Therefore, an important milestone in the context of increasing