A DESCRIPTION OF SIX LEVELS OF COGNITIVE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

IN RELATION TO THE WAY OF CARRYING OUT ASSESSMENT.

Introduction The taxonomy of educational objectives is a framework for classifying statements

of what we expect or intend students to learn as a result of instruction. Bloom’s committee
identified three domains of educational activities: cognitive- mental skills (Knowledge);
Affective- growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude); and Psychomotor- manual or
physical skills (Skills). The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of
intellectual skills. Within the cognitive domain, Bloom identified six levels - from the simple
recall or recognition of facts, as the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract
mental levels, to the highest order, classified as evaluation. Those levels are knowledge,
Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation (Bloom, 1956). Different
sources list somewhat different verb examples to represent intellectual activity on each of
Bloom’s levels. Some of these verb examples are listed here. It is important to note that
sometimes the same verbs appear as examples in more than one cognitive level (e.g., write,
summarize, test, explain, etc.). While educators have found these cues useful in lesson planning,
this overlap of verbs indicates that focusing only on verbs to determine level of cognitive
demand is not fully adequate. Identification of 6 levels of cognitive educational objectives

1. Knowledge is defined as the remembering of previously learned material. This may involve
the recall of a wide range material, from specific facts to complete theories, but all that is
required is for the student to bring to mind the appropriate information. Knowledge represents
the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain.

Objectives: Know common terms, specific facts, methods, procedures, basic concepts, principles.

2. Comprehension is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of material. This may be shown
by translating material from one form to another (words to numbers), by interpreting material
(explaining or summarizing), and by estimating future trends (predicting consequences or
effects). These learning outcomes go one step beyond the simple remembering of material, and
represent the lowest level of understanding.

Objectives: Understand facts and principles. Interpret verbal material, charts, and graphs.
Translate verbal material to mathematical formulas. Estimate future consequences implied by
data. Justify method and procedures.

3. Application refers to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. This
may include the application of such things as rules, methods, concepts, principles, laws, and
theories. Learning outcomes in this area require a higher level of understanding than those under
comprehension.

Objectives: Apply concepts and principles to new situations. Apply laws and theories to practical
situations. Solve mathematical problems. Construct charts and graphs. 3

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4. Analysis refers to the ability to break down material into its component parts so that its
organizational structure may be understood. This may include the identification of the parts,
analysis of the relationships between parts, and recognition of the organizational principles
involved. Learning outcomes here represent a higher intellectual level than comprehension and
application because they require an understanding of both the content and the structural form of
the material. Differentiate.

Objectives: Recognize unstated assumptions and logical fallacies in reasoning. Distinguish

between facts and inferences. Evaluate the relevancy of data. Analyze the organizational
structure of a work.

5. Synthesis refers to the ability to put parts together to form a new whole. This may involve the
production of a unique communication (theme or speech), a plan of operations (research
proposal), or a set of abstract relations (scheme for classifying information). Learning outcomes
in this area stress creative behaviors, with major emphasis on the formulation of new patterns of
structures. Integrate.

Objectives: Write a well-organized theme or give a well-organized speech. Propose a plan or

create a new work or writing, music, art. Integrate learning from different areas into a plan to
solve new problems. Formulate or develop new schemes for classifying.

6. Evaluation is concerned with the ability to judge the value of material (statement, novel,
poem, research report) for a given purpose. The judgments are to be based on definite criteria.
These may be internal criteria (organization) or external criteria (relevance to the purpose), and
the student may determine the criteria or be given them. Learning outcomes in this area are
highest in the cognitive hierarchy because they contain elements of all of the other categories,
plus conscious value judgments based on clearly defined criteria.

Objectives: Judge the logical consistency, the adequacy of conclusions, the value of a work by
use of internal criteria, the value of a work by use of external standards (Bloom, 1965).
Conclusion In a well designed curriculum, learners will develop basic learning skills and acquire
foundation knowledge in their earliest courses. As they move forward to advanced courses, they
develop higher order learning skills and more advanced understanding in a given subject. By
respecting the levels of Bloom taxonomy, it would be easy to describe students learning
outcomes in terms of concrete action so as to get measures on curriculum assessment. The
Bloom taxonomy is also helpful, measurable in defining objectives which are specific,
measurable, achievable, and realistic in time.

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Relationship of 6 levels of cognitive educational objectives to the way of carrying out the
assessment

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Bloom's Taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorize test questions when
assessing student learning outcomes. The table below describes skills demonstrated for each
level of thinking according to Bloom as well as question cues that can be used to elicit student
responses within that level (Illinois Online Network, 2006).
Competence Skills Demonstrated Question Cues
Knowledge: To recall and Assessed by direct questions list, define, tell, describe,
memorize by testing the students ‘ability identify, show, label, collect,
to recall facts, and identify examine, tabulate, quote,
and repeat the information name, who, when, where, etc.
provided.

observation and recall of

information

knowledge of dates, events,

places

knowledge of major ideas

mastery of subject matter

Comprehension: To translate Assessed by having students' summarize, describe, interpret,

from one form to another
restate material in their own contrast, predict, associate,
words; reorder or extrapolate distinguish, estimate,
ideas, predict or estimate. differentiate, discuss, extend
Assessments provide evidence
the students have some
understanding or
comprehension of what they
are saying.

understanding information

grasp meaning

translate knowledge into

new context

interpret facts, compare,

contrast

order, group, infer causes

predict consequences

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Application: To apply or use
information in a new situation
Assessed by presenting
students with a new situation
and have them apply their
knowledge to solve the
problem or execute the proper
procedure.
apply, demonstrate, calculate,
complete, illustrate, show,
solve, examine, modify, relate,
change, classify, experiment,
discover

use information

use methods, concepts,

theories in new situations

solve problems using

required skills or knowledge

Analysis: To examine a Assessed by presenting analyze, separate, order,

concept and break it down into students with a unique explain, connect, classify,
its parts situation of the same type but arrange, divide, compare,
not identical to that used select, explain, infer
during instruction, and have
them analyze the situation and
describe the appropriate
procedure or solution to the
problem.

• seeing patterns

• organization of parts

• recognition of hidden
meanings

• identification of components