An Analysis of Reading Questions in ELT Textbook Based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domain

Abstract

This present study was aimed to evaluate the thinking levels of reading questions in ELT textbook based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The researcher used the theory of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guideline to analyze the data. There were six categories of cognitive learning domain based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy which are remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The data of this study was obtained from reading questions in ELT textbook entitled “Pathway to English” for SMA/MA grade X published by Erlangga. The researcher selected all reading questions (124 questions) in this textbook to be analyzed and coded by using coding categories of cognitive domain based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. Then, the data obtained were calculated by using the percentage to know the ranking percentage of each categories of cognitive domain based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy in this textbook. Moreover, the qualitative method used to explain the data in the form of description. The result showed that the reading questions in this textbook have included all categories of cognitive domain of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The lower level of cognitive domain based on Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy were more dominant than the higher level one. In this case, remember level has the highest percentage with 44.3% from 54 questions out of 122 questions in this textbook among other levels of cognitive domain. In addition, understand level was in the second level of the most dominant cognitive domain with 34.4% from 42 questions out of 122 questions. Meanwhile, the reading questions which were categorized as high-level thinking skill seldom appeared in this textbook. In sum, the variation of cognitive learning domain found in the reading question was still unbalanced and needed more addition on the high order thinking domain.