A Comparative Analysis of the Zambian Senior Secondary History Examination between the Old and Revised Curriculum using Blooms Taxonomy

Abstract

IThe 2013 Education reform in Zambia is one of the significant changes that brought about a shift in assessment. To understand the changes that have taken place in the 2013 revised curriculum, and to determine the claims by the Ministry of General Education that the revised curriculum is based on higher order thinking, this study evaluated the Examination Council of Zambia's Grade 12 History examination past papers. Qualitative content analysis was used as a research method and document study. A descriptive content analysis style was used to describe the occurrence of the coding categories of analysis precisely. Content analysis was used to make replicable and valid inferences by interpreting and coding textual material in the Grade 12 examination questions. The sample for this research comprised of 10 History examination papers from the new curriculum and old curriculum which were purposively selected. The findings of the study suggested that the analysed exam papers lacked the higher-level cognitive skills contained in Bloom's taxonomy. It is recommended that examiners follow the guidelines for setting an Outcome-Based Assessment so that they can achieve the intended goals of learning for learners. Keywords: Bloom's Taxonomy; History; exam questions; Assessment; Outcome Based Assessment and Outcome Based Curriculum/ Education.

Quality of Online Biodiversity Summative Assessments Administered to Student Teachers at a South African University

“…The third finding relates to the cognitive levels of the reviewed summative assessments, which showed that the assessments were mostly pitched at lower cognitive levels of blooms' taxonomy; 'remembering' and 'understanding' levels (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). Similar findings have been found in several studies (Kabombwe et al, 2021;Shukla & Dungsungnoen, 2016). This finding is concerning because it implies that the quality of assessments is compromised (Anees, 2017), in the sense that students could achieve high scores from summative assessments but lack higher order thinking skills, which are essential for solving problems and making rational decisions in society and in workplace (Junus, et al, 2021).…”

“…The selection of these quality measures was guided by the LINQED Quality Assurance Framework for Student assessment (Educational network LINQED, 2011), which include fitness for Purpose (alignment with course objectives and content), authenticity and cognitive complexity. These assessment quality measures have been used in many studies (Gareis & Grant, 2015;Kabombwe, Machila, & Sikayomya, 2021). Measurement of assessment alignment with course objectives involves relating assessment items to the objectives specified for the course under review, while measurement of content validity involves matching assessment items with course content (Gareis & Grant, 2015).…”

“…Measurement of assessment alignment with course objectives involves relating assessment items to the objectives specified for the course under review, while measurement of content validity involves matching assessment items with course content (Gareis & Grant, 2015). The revised Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) has been used extensively to determine the cognitive levels at which assessment items are pitched (Kabombwe, Machila, & Sikayomya, 2021;Anees, 2017). The measurement of assessment authenticity, which denotes an assessment's applicability to real-life situations has often involved the use of Wiggins' framework for authentic assessment (Wiggins, 1990).…”

Education and New Developments 2023 – Volume 1

“…The third finding relates to the cognitive levels of the reviewed summative assessments, which showed that the assessments were mostly pitched at lower cognitive levels of blooms' taxonomy; 'remembering' and 'understanding' levels . Similar findings have been found in several studies (Kabombwe et al, 2021;Shukla & Dungsungnoen, 2016). This finding is concerning because it implies that the quality of assessments is compromised (Anees, 2017), in the sense that students could achieve high scores from summative assessments but lack higher order thinking skills, which are essential for solving problems and making rational decisions in society and in workplace (Junus, et al, 2021).…”

“…Measurement of assessment alignment with course objectives involves relating assessment items to the objectives specified for the course under review, while measurement of content validity involves matching assessment items with course content (Gareis & Grant, 2015). The revised Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives has been used extensively to determine the cognitive levels at which assessment items are pitched (Kabombwe, Machila, & Sikayomya, 2021;Anees, 2017). The measurement of assessment authenticity, which denotes an assessment's applicability to real-life situations has often involved the use of Wiggins' framework for authentic assessment (Wiggins, 1990).…”