Analyzing Assessment Questions in an Arabic Textbook (Communication Skills) for Eight Grade in Jordan According to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Levels of Knowledge Aims

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing assessment questions included in an Arabic language textbook (Communication Skills)for eight grade in the Jordanian schools according to the levels of knowledge in Bloom’s Taxonomy to reveal thepercentages of distributing of these questions against this taxonomy. In order to achieve the purposes of this study,the researcher designed the instrument of analysis which he applied to the 520 questions included in the textbook forboth first and second semesters.Data was identified, recorded and the results were compared to the standard percentages identified by using themeans introduced by the specialists. The results of this study revealed that the textbook questions mostly focused onthe lower levels of thinking. Results also showed a graphic disagreement between the percentages of the distributionof the textbook assessment questions and the standard percentages at five levels (Remembering, Understanding andComprehension, Application, Analysis and Evaluation). In the light of these results, the research recommends thatthere should be a stronger focus on questions of higher levels of thinking in an Arabic Language textbook for gradeeight particularly at the levels of application, analysis and evaluation. It also recommends a gradual increase ofbalanced questions in any future textbook production, and more content analysis studies should include Arabiclanguage textbooks at all stages.