The use of the Taxonomy of educational objectives : cognitive domain when analyzing and comparing geography objectives and questions on the public examinations for the province of Newfoundland

Mercer, William Wayne (1972) The use of the Taxonomy of educational objectives : cognitive domain when analyzing and comparing geography objectives and questions on the public examinations for the province of Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The study examined whether or not there is a discrepancy, as identified by Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain, between the objectives as stated in Newfoundland geography curriculum guides and those objectives tested on Public Examinations in Geography for Grades IX and X. Data for this study were derived from two sources: geography curriculum guides for Grades IX and X, and from the Grades IX and X Public Examinations in Geography that were administered between 1960-1969. A total of 739 test items and 319 curriculum guide objectives comprised the population used in this study and each was classified according to the six major levels of Bloom's taxonomy. -- The assistance of three judges was also required in order to validate the researcher's competency in rating test items and curriculum guide objectives according to the six major levels of Bloom's taxonomy. These judges were selected from the replies to a circular sent to members in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Memorial University. -- A preliminary investigation was undertaken by the researcher in order (i) to ascertain the judges familiarity with the research instrument, (ii) to validate the researcher's competence in using the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; Cognitive Domain, and (iii) to determine if the taxonomy could be used in classifying curriculum guide objectives. -- This preliminary investigation made the researcher aware of the fact that curriculum guide objectives could not be classified according to Bloom's taxonomy unless they were stated in terms of actual pupil performance. As a result a behavioural interpretation was assigned to the curriculum guide objectives by the researcher and then validated with the assistance of Grade IX geography teachers in and around the environs of St. John's. -- Having successfully overcome the problems presented in the preliminary investigation, the researcher conducted the pilot study. The purpose for conducting this pilot study was to solve the two sub-problems that had underlain the main problem of this study. A total of 104 randomly selected items--71 from the Public Examinations in Geography and 33 from the geography curriculum guides--were prepared as a questionnaire and submitted to the three judges for their independent classification. The results of this pilot study showed that Bloom's taxonomy was an effective instrument (i) in analyzing test items on Public Examinations in Geography for Grades IX and X, and (ii) in analyzing objectives stated in geography curriculum guides, provided the objectives were given an appropriate behavioural interpretation. -- In the main study the relationship between objectives tested on the Public Examinations in Geography and those objectives outlined in the geography curriculum guides was investigated. The statistical procedure used to test the main hypothesis and the six sub hypotheses was a Chi-square test of independence. -- The findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the objectives outlined in the geography curriculum guides and those items tested on the Public Examinations in Geography for Grades IX and X. -- Analysis of the findings supported several important conclusions: (1) There exists a gap between the objectives stated in geography curriculum guides and those objectives tested on the Public Examinations in Geography. (2) The Public Examinations in Geography emphasize the pupils ability to recall factual information that has been previously stated in the textbook. -- Arising from the study were several major recommendations: (1) A future comparative study could be done comparing the Public Examinations with the examinations administered by teachers during the five year moratorium. (2) There exists a need for a study, investigating the actual teaching situations which test results are intended to reflect.

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