On the Representation of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in Interchange Coursebooks

Abstract

This study intends to evaluate Interchange series (2005), which are still fundamental coursebooks in the EFL curriculum settings, in terms of learning objectives in Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001) to see which levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy were more emphasized in these coursebooks. For this purpose, the contents of Interchange textbooks were codified based on a coding scheme designed by the researchers. The coding scheme was based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of learning objectives. The reliability of the coding scheme was also tested through two kinds of reliability analysis, namely, inter-coder and intra-coder reliability. The data were then analyzed and the frequencies and percentages of occurrence of different learning objectives were calculated. The results of the study revealed that Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS), the three low levels in Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, were the most prevalent learning levels in these books. Moreover, a significant difference was also found among the coursebooks in their inclusion of different levels of learning objectives. The other result of this study was the total absence of metacognitive knowledge. All in all, it was found that Interchange series cannot make learners critical thinkers. As a final point, some implications for teachers and coursebook/textbook developers are recommended.