Students often complain that although they are sure that they knew the answer to an exam question, the examiner awarded them only average or very low marks.
On the other hand, lecturers remark that students forfeit marks because they do not answer what is asked in an assessment.
Yes, they say, students manage to fill the blank spaces with words and sentences but the answers do not reach the set outcome. Students might demonstrate content knowledge but they do not follow the instructions as stated in the question. Students rather fixate on WHAT they need to answer (information) and do not pay attention to HOW they are required to answer it (format or structure).
Before tackling any question or assignment, it is as important to make sure you know exactly HOW you are supposed to answer a question as it is to know WHAT subject knowledge the question / assignment wants to assess.
Why is it Important to Pay Attention to the Structure or Format of a Question?
It is essential that you know what the format or structure the answer should be presented in because it:
1. Guides you towards the expected outcome or the objective you are expected to reach.
2. Assists you in allocating just enough, not too much and not too little time to answering a question. For example: It takes a lot less time to list the types of muscles compared to describing the form and function of each muscle.
3. Tells you what type of question you are dealing with. Different types of questions assess different levels of knowledge.
Levels of Knowledge
There exists a number of classifications or taxonomies that categorize different levels of knowledge. A taxonomy of learning behaviours classify the goals that need to be achieved in the learning process.
One of the best known classifications is Bloom’s taxonomy. In the 1950s a committee led by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, identified three domains of educational activities namely:
1. Cognitive or mental areas – knowledge and development of intellectual skills.
2. Affective or emotional areas - attitudes
3. Psychomotor or manual or physical skills - practical skills.
After the each training session or at the end of the course, the student should have acquired a combination of new general and profession-specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes.
For example a massage therapy student will have to demonstrate:
1. Cognitive skills such as knowledge of anatomy and physiology, massage, nutrition etc.
2. Attitudes such as professionalism and ethical behaviour gained through the study and practice of counselling, jurisprudence, community service and academic literacy etc.
3. Skills including massage skills, business skills, computer skills, research skills, professional writing skills etc.
Cognitive Domain
The cognitive domain involving knowledge and the development of mental or intellectual skills, consists of six major categories. It starts with the simplest behaviour and concrete levels of thinking and moves to the most complex and abstract levels of thinking. The one category must be mastered before the next one can take place.
Bloom’s categories are: 1)
1. Knowledge - remembering or recognising something previously encountered without necessarily understanding, using, or changing it.
2. Comprehension - understanding the material being communicated without necessarily relating it to anything else.
3. Application - using a general concept to solve a particular problem.
4. Analysis - breaking something down into parts.
5. Synthesis - creating something new by combining different ideas.
6. Evaluation - judging the value of materials or methods as they might be applied in a particular situation.
Different levels of knowledge are assessed by means of different types questions and as explained earlier the answer to each type of question requires a specific structure. Each of these levels of knowledge will be discussed in detail in future posts.
How do You Know which Format to Use for a Particular Question?
Usually the clue can be found in the first word of the question.
A question typically starts with a verb, an action word. It tells you what to do. It is therefore important to understand the exact meaning of the verbs used in a question. Is explain the same as describe? Is separate the same as categorize?
In the next post we will look at Level 1 of the cognitive domain in detail.
1) Teacher Education http://educ-reality.com/benjamin-bloom-and-his-taxonomy/
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