An Analysis of Reading Comprehension Questions in “English in Mind” Based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

Abstract

Reading comprehension questions can indicate the cognitive demands that a textbook places on learners. This study analyzed the cognitive levels represented in the reading comprehension questions of the seventh-grade English in Mind textbook using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. The study employed qualitative content analysis. The data were collected through documentation and consisted of 91 reading comprehension questions identified across 14 chapters after four initially identified items were excluded because they did not meet the study’s criteria for reading comprehension questions. The questions were coded into six cognitive domains: Remembering (C1), Understanding (C2), Applying (C3), Analyzing (C4), Evaluating (C5), and Creating (C6). Two additional coders participated in the coding process, and differences were discussed to reach a final consensus. The findings show that 73 questions (80.22%) were categorized as Remembering, five (5.49%) as Understanding, 12 (13.19%) as Analyzing, and one (1.10%) as Evaluating. No questions were categorized as Applying or Creating. Thus, 78 questions (85.71%) represented lower-order thinking skills, while 13 questions (14.29%) represented higher-order thinking skills. The findings indicate that the textbook provides a strong emphasis on recalling and understanding information, while opportunities to apply knowledge, evaluate ideas, and create new responses are limited. The results suggest that teachers can supplement textbook questions with appropriately sequenced higher-order questions, while textbook developers can consider a more balanced distribution of cognitive demands.