Bloom's taxonomy for dr mathur

 Educational objectives are the statements of those
desired changes in behavior as a result of specific
teaching – learning activity or specific teacher -
learner activities.
 Behavior :- what the student should know or be able
to do after the teaching-learning activity, i.e., the
knowledge, ability, skill, attitude, appreciation and
interest which the student develops as a result of the
teaching-learning activity.
 Educational objectives depict what the student
should be able to do at the end of a learning activity
that they could not do beforehand.
 As educational objective is focused much more on
the learners‟ performance, it is also known as
„learning objective‟.

 These objectives are generally followed by all
institutions offering the same educational
programme.
 It is usually formulated in consensus with the general
curriculum objectives of the educational programme
by the curriculum committee of the institute.
 Well constructed institutional objectives are the
foundation for a relevant educational programme.
They are written down for the attainment of overall
aim or objective of a particular educational
programme.
 Students acquire knowledge and able to provide
comprehensive care to the clients in institution and
community; in health and sickness.

 These are the derivatives of institutional
objectives and related to a particular
learning experience or subject matter.
 They are formulated by the curriculum
committee.
 For example : students acquire
knowledge and able to provide
comprehensive care to the patients with
eye, ear and nose conditions or diseases.

 Specific, precise, attainable, measurable and
corresponding to each specific teaching-learning
activity.
 They are formulated by the teacher at the
instructional level.
 Instructional or specific objectives for a class on
peptic ulcer can be formulated as follows. Student :
Defines peptic ulcer, lists down the etiology of peptic
ulcer, explains the medical management of peptic
ulcer, list down the nursing diagnoses of a patient
with peptic ulcer.
 Performs nursing care of a patient with peptic ulcer
and lists down the complications of peptic ulcer.

 Central objective is written for every topic or lesson .
 This is of supreme importance in any teaching
activity.
 Central objective provides the basis for formulating
the subsequent contributory objectives.
 If the teacher wishes to teach the students about the
lecture method, she can formulate the central
objective as follows; “by the end of the class,
students acquire knowledge regarding lecturing
techniques, discriminate the merits and demerits of
lecture and able to practice it in an effective way by
minimizing the demerits”.
.

 Contributory objectives are synonymous with specific
objectives.
 They are the derivatives of central objective. The
attainment of central objective is possible only
through the attainment of contributory objectives.
 They have to be written more specifically in terms of
the knowledge, abilities, skills, attitude, appreciation
and interest which will develop in the student as a
result of the specific teaching-learning activity.
 For example, student :Defines lecture method, lists
down the merits of lecture method and lists down the
demerits of lecture method are some of the
contributory objectives that will assist the teacher in
attaining the central objective while taking a class on
lecture method

 Indirect or concomittent objectives are the
byproducts of the attainment of other objectives.
 They have to be written-down in order to bring out
certain understandings, ideals and attitudes along
with the attainment of contributory objectives and
central objective.
 For example: appreciate the value of lecture
method.
 Attainment of this indirect objective along with other
objectives like central objective and contributory
objectives will motivate the students to honor the
value of lecture method in the future by practicing it
with adequate preparation and employing suitable
techniques.

 Bloom and his associates developed a system
of classification of objectives called the
taxonomy of educational objectives.
 Taxonomy of educational objectives classifies
objectives into three main domains and each
of these is further categorized according to the
level of behavior, progressing from the most
simple to the highly complex.
 The levels are arranged in the form of a
hierarchy so that the behaviors at any given
level will incorporate those of the levels below.

 The three domains are cognitive, which is
concerned with knowledge and intellectual
abilities, which is concerned with attitudes,
values, interests and appreciations and
psychomotor domain is concerned with
motor skills.
 Bloom presented the taxonomy of
cognitive domain, Karath is related to
affective domain and Harrow developed
the taxonomy for psychomotor domain

 The cognitive domain consists of six levels
of objectives, each of which is divided
into subcategories.
 Let us see the six levels in brief.

 Knowledge :- recall of specifics and universals, recall
of methods and processes or the recall of a pattern,
structure or setting.

 Specifics stands for definite things like terminologies
and specific facts. Universal means all-reaching or all-
embracing , for example, theories and
generalizations are applicable to all situations.

 This level is related to the remembering of previously
learned material and represents the lowest level of
learning outcomes in the cognitive domain.
Knowledge of specifics include knowledge of
terminology and knowledge of specific facts.

Knowledge of specifics include
 (a) Knowledge of conventions.
 (b) Knowledge of trends and sequence.
 (c) Knowledge of classifications and
categories.
 (d) Knowledge of criteria.
 (e) knowledge of methodology.

 Knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a
field include :-
(a) Knowledge of principles and generalizations.
(b) Knowledge of theories and structures.
 Action verbs related to this level of objective are
define, state, list, name, outline, write, recall, recogniz
e, label, underline, select, measure, describe, identify
, etc.
 Please note that some verbs associated with one
level may be used to indicate other levels also.
Examples : (a) Defines immunity. (b) states the four
steps in curriculum development. (c) Describes the
healing process.

 Even though this level represents the lowest level of
understanding.
 learning outcomes go one step beyond simple
understanding as evidenced by the learners ability to
make limited use of information in the form of
translation, interpretation and extrapolation.
 Using other words to communicate something said
or printed without altering the meaning is called
translation.
 Interpretation is the ability of the students to explain
the meaning or significance of an information in the
own words.

 Extrapolation is the ability to work out or
estimate unknown information from the known
information.
 Typical verbs used at this level are identify
,justify ,select, indicate, illustrate, represent,
name, formulate, explain, judge, contrast,
classify, paraphrase, translate, convert etc.
 Examples : (a) Classifies cirrhosis of liver based
on the etiology. (b) Identifies the importance of
good nutrition during the antenatal period. (c)
Explains the role of pulse polio in eradicating
poliomyelitis.

 This is the ability to use learned material such as
rules, principles, concepts, etc to new and real situations.
 The learning outcomes in this area require a higher level of
understanding than those under comprehension.

 Verbs used at this level are
predict, select, assess, explain, choose, find, show, demon
strate, construct, compute, use, perform, discover, prepar
e, produce, relate, etc.

 Examples : (a) Demonstrates correct use of pulse
oxymeter. (b) Applies the guidelines for the selection and
practice of suitable teaching methods. (c) Formulates diet
plan for patients with diabetes mellitus.

 This refers to the ability to breakdown
information into its component parts, which
may be elements of information, relationships
between elements or organization and
structure of information.
 Analysis helps to separate the important
aspects of information from the less
important, thus clarifying the meaning .
 Learning outcomes here represent a higher
intellectual level than comprehension and
application because they require an
understanding of both the content and
structural form of information.

 Action verbs at this level are analyze,
identify, conclude, differentiate, select,
separate, compare, contrast, justify,
resolve, breakdown ,criticize, differentiates,
discriminates, distinguishes, etc.
 Examples: (a) Distinguishes between
Marasmus and kwashiorker. (b) Identifies
the warning signs of myocardial infarction.
(c) Differentiates the pain of myocardial
infarction from that of angina pectoris.

 At this level learner is expected to combine various
parts to form a new whole.
 Learning outcomes in this area stress creative
behaviors with major emphasis on the formulation of
new patterns or structures.
 Verbs that represent this level are
combine, restate, summarize, precise, argue, discuss,
organize, derive, select, relate, generalize
conclude, compile, compose, create, devise, plan, e
tc.
 Examples : (a) Devices a care plan for a patient with
myocardial infarction. (b) Derives a solution for the
hospital waste problem. (c) Summarizes the impact
of consumer protection act on the nurse-patient
relationship.

 This level is concerned with the ability to
judge the value of material for a given
purpose.
 Judgments are to be based on definite
criteria.
 Typical verbs are judge, evaluate,
determine, recognize, support, defend,
criticize, identify, avoid, select, choose,
compare, contrast, justify, appraise, etc.
 For example : Compare and contrast any
two definitions of education.

 The affective domain consists of five
levels of objectives, each of which is
divided into subcategories.
 Francis M. Quinn describes the affective
domain and its five levels in the following
way.
 As feelings, attitudes, values and interests
are components of the caring
functions, this domain has particular
significance in nursing.

 „Values‟ refer to the person‟s concept of
what he or she considers desirable and
so has a large emotional component.
 A person's values may include
sincerity, compassion, respect, etc.
„Attitudes‟ are positive or negative
feeling about certain things and consists
of both cognitive and affective aspects

 At this level learner is sensitive to the
existence of something and progresses from
awareness to controlled or selected
attention.
 It is difficult to tell when a learner is
receiving or attending to something, so the
best indicator is verbal behavior.
 Typical verbs used at this level are
asks, chooses, selects, replies, etc.
 For example, asks right questions by
honoring the dignity of the patient during
history collection.

 This is concerned with active response by
the learner, although commitment is yet to
demonstrate.
 The range is from reacting to a suggestion
through to experiencing a feeling of
satisfaction in responding.
 Verbs represent this level include answers,
assists, complies, conforms, helps, etc.
 For example, assists the patient in carrying
out activities of daily living.

 Objectives at this level indicate
acceptance and internalization of the
values or attitudes.
 The learner acts out these in everyday life in
a consistent way.
 The verbs used in this level are initiates,
invites, joins, justifies, etc.
 For example, initiates the building of
interpersonal relationship with the patients
during clinical postings.

 Having internalized the value, the learner
will encounter situations in which more than
one value is relevant.
 This level is concerned with the ability to
organize values and to arrange them in
appropriate order.
 Verbs represent this level are alters,
arranges, combines, modifies, etc.
 For example, combines various interaction
Skills to nurture interpersonal relationship
with patients.

 This is the highest level and having attained this level the
learner has an internalized va1ue system which has
become their philosophy of life.
 Verbs applicable to this level are
acts, displays, discriminates, listens, etc.
 For example, displays confidence while caring patients
with myocardial infarction.

 Affective domain not only guides in the inculcation of new
attitudes but also assists in modifying the student‟s existing
attitudes in a way favorable to the nursing profession.
 Some more action verbs like respond, co-
operate, react, receive, participate, appreciate, contribut
e and interact are also used to represent this domain.

Psychomotor domain consists of seven
levels. According to
Francis.M.Qujnn, these seven level can
be explained as follows.

 This basic level is concerned with the
perception of sensory cues the guide
actions and ranges from awareness of
stimuli to translation into action.
 Action verbs are
chooses, differentiates, distinguishes, ide
ntifies, detects, etc.
 For example, detects the early signs of
decubitus ulcer.

 This is concerned with the cognitive,
affective and psychomotor readiness to
act.
 Typical verbs are begins, moves, reacts,
shows, starts etc.
 For example, reacts promptly to
emergency situations during trauma
care postings.

 These objectives refer to the early stages
in skill acquisition ski1ls are performed
following demonstration by the teacher.
 Typical verbs are carries
out, makes, performs, calculates, etc.
 For example, performs bed making
correctly as demonstrated by the
teacher.

 At this level, the performance has
become habitual, but the movements
are not so complex as the next higher
level.
 Verbs used are similar to level 3 for
example, calculates the volume of fluid
required in the first day for a patient
admitted with 60% percentage burns
and weighing 50 kilograms.

 This level typifies the skilled performance
and involves economy of effort,
smoothness of action, accuracy and
efficiency, etc.
 Again verbs are similar
to level 3.
 For example, performs endotrachial
intubation correctly.

 Here, the skills are internalized to such an
extent that the students can
adapt them to cater for special
circumstances. Typical verbs are
adapts, alters, modifies, reorganizes, etc.
 For example, modifies sterilization
techniques according to the article to
be sterilized.

 This is the highest level and concerns the
origination of new movement
patterns to suit particular circumstances.
 Typical verbs are composes, creates, designs,
originates, etc.
 For example, designs a splint to restrain the
forearm of a child who is on IV infusion.
 Insert, remove, dissect, Palpate, inject,
operate, auscultate, prepare, etc are some of
the verbs commonly used in the clinical area
to denote psychomotor domain.


From the above discussion, it is clear that nursing
students have to develop cognitive, affective and
psychomotor abilities in order to pursue a good
career.
 Teacher has to keep this in mind and extreme care
should be taken to incorporate cognitive, affective
and psychomotor domains while framing central
objective.
 Irrespective of the criticisms leveled against Bloom‟s
taxonomy, it still continues to help nurse educators in
bringing about desirable behaviour modifications
among nursing students.

 Moreover, it is easy to derive specific or
instructional objectives from such worded
central objectives.
 For example, the central objective to teach
nursing management of patients with
myocardial infarction can be stated as
follows, “by the end of the class, students
acquire in-depth knowledge regarding the
nursing management of myocardial
infarction, appreciate the role of nursing care
in the management of myocardial infarction
and able to perform nursing care meticulously
as demanded by the patient‟s condition”.

 In this objective, acquire in-depth knowledge
stands for cognitive domain, appreciate the
role of nursing care represents affective
domain and able to perform nursing care
meticulously as demanded by the patient‟s
condition denotes psychomotor domain.
 As demanded by the patients‟ condition signify
the students‟ ability to render nursing care for a
patient with myocardial infarction in the critical
as well as in the stable condition.

 An educational objective should be
relevant, feasible and achievable,
measurable, unequivocal, observable
and logical.
 If an educational objective fails to meet
any one of these qualities, it is regarded
as invaluable or poor objective

1. Relevant: Educational objectives should
have a direct relationship with the aims
of learning, in other words educational
objectives should be based on the
needs of the learner.
2. Feasible and achievable: Students
should be able to do what is envisaged
by the objective, within the allotted time
and available resources.

3. Measurable: In addition to
communicating the expected behavior
modification.
 there should be a provision in the
objective to evaluate the end result, i.e.,
the extent of behavior modification
occurred as a result of the teaching
learning activity

4) Observable: The qualities of measurable and
observable are closely related.
• In the statement of objectives there should be
some means to observe the progress towards
the achievement of desired behavioral
modifications as stipulated by the objective.
5) Unequivocal: Equivocal words. Bear more
than one or two meanings.
• Equivocal words should be avoided while
framing objectives in order to provide a
uniform direction in achieving learning aims by
avoiding ambiguity.

 The words like to know, to understand, etc
are equivocal,
whereas the words like to write, to
solve, etc are unequivocal.
 As unequivocal words are very clear there is
only less chance for misinterpretation.
6 Logical : The objectives which are written-
down must be agreeable or reasonable in
relation to the teaching-learning
activities, i.e., objectives should be internally
consistent with the educational activities.

Objectives can be stated in four different
ways namely
 teacher centered objective.
 subject centered objective.
 learner centered objective.
 behaviour centered objective.

 These objectives are written-down in
relation to the teacher‟s activity which
enables to bring about desirable
changes in the behavior of students.
 For example, teacher lists down the
predisposing factors of myocardial
infarction and students recognize them.

 Subject centered objectives are the
objectives which are written down by giving
significance to the subject matter with an
intention to produce some
behavioral modifications among students.
 For example, identifies the symptomatology
of myocardial infarction.

 Learner centered objectives can be
stated either in terms of activity
performed by students or outcomes
attained by the learner as a result of the
teaching-learning activity.
 For example, student prepares care
plan.

 Objective stated in terms of behavior
modification expected is called behavioral
objective or behavior centered objective.
 As education is concerned with the
modification of behavior, behavior
centered way of stating objective is
considered as the best way to state
objectives.
 Forthcoming discussion will give you the
required information pertaining to
behavioral objectives in a condensed form.

 When written in behavioral terms an objective will
include three components namely condition of
performance, student behavior and performance
criteria or standard.
 Condition of performance indicates the conditions or
contexts under which the student will perform the
behavior.
 A statement objective will always begin with a
condition of performance
 For example, after attending the demonstration on
intramuscular injection, students will be able to
perform intramuscular injection correctly. Here, „after
attending the demonstration on intramuscular
injection‟ denotes the condition of performance.

 Student behavior :describes the behavior
that the teacher want the student to
perform, i.e., the knowledge to be
gained and the action or skill the student
is able to do.
 In the above mentioned example,
„student will be able to perform
intramuscular injection‟ stands for
student behavior.

 It specifies the level of performance that
the teacher will accept as successful
attainment of the objective or describes
how well the behavior is to be done in
comparison with predetermined
standard or criteria.
 In the previously mentioned
example, the word „correctly‟ represents
the standard or criteria.

(a) Provides an opportunity for the teacher to
examine the content which she is going to
teach and motivates her to present the
content in a student friendly manner.
(b) (b) Helps the teacher to determine
whether or not he had actually taught
what is intended to teach.
(c) (c) The use of behaviorally stated
objectives motivates the teacher to
consistently evaluate a student‟s
performance, this will ultimately helps her
to individualize instruction in a better way.

(d) Justifies the selection of
content, learning experiences and
teaching-learning methods.
(e) Behavioral objectives can be written for
cognitive, affective and psychomotor
domains. This will allow nurse educators
to frame objectives in a realistic way
suitable to the aims of nursing
education.


Morrison and Riciley clearly described the
strengths and weaknesses of behavioral
objectives.
 The strengths of behavioral objectives are
 (a)They are performance based,
measurable and observable.(
 b) They are easily communicated to
teachers and students.
 (c) They facilitate organization by
specifying goals and outcomes.

 (d) They clarify thinking and planning
and resolve ambiguities.
 (e) They are „teacher-proof‟ and clear to
anxious teachers.
 (f) They are highly prescriptive.
 (g) They make clear assessment and
evaluation criteria.
 (h) They specify behaviors.


(a) They are highly instrumental, regarding education
as instrumentally rather than intrinsically worthwhile.
 (b) They render students and teachers passive
recipients of curricula rather than participants in a
process of negotiation.
 (c) They only cover the trivial, concrete and
observable aspects of education, thereby neglecting
long-term, unobservable, immeasurable deeper-
seated aims and elements.
 (d) Education becomes technicist, tending towards
low level training rather than higher level thinking

 . (e) Because they are „teacher-proof‟
they build out teachers‟ autonomy.
 (f) They lead to predictability rather than
open -
endedness, discovery, serendipity, creati
vity and spontaneity.
 (g The process of education is overtaken
by outcome dependence.

(h) They replace the significance of
understanding with an emphasis on
behavior.
(i) Epistemologically they mistake the
nature of knowledge, seeing it as
products and facts, supporting a
rationalist rather than an empirical view
of knowledge.
(j) They mistakenly „parcel up‟ and atomise
knowledge

 Educational objectives are those desired changes in
behavior as a result of specific teaching-learning
activity or specific teacher-learner activities.
 Behavior is what the student should know
or able to do after the teaching-learning activity.
 Educational objectives can be classified in different
ways like general or institutional
objective, intermediate or departmental
objective, instructional or specific objective, central
objective, contributory objective and indirect or
concomitant objective.
 Bloom‟s taxonomy of educational objectives classifies
objectives into cognitive, affective and psychomotor
domains with subdivisions.

Bloom's taxonomy for dr mathur

Bloom's taxonomy for dr mathur

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