Bloom Taxonomy, Purpose, Domains, Examples

Table of Contents

Learning objectives play a crucial role in the design of instructional units or courses. These objectives typically span across three domains of learning: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor. Each domain outlines specific types of learning outcomes related to knowledge (thinking), attitudes (feeling), and skills (doing). Instructional designers and subject matter experts (SMEs) utilize learning taxonomies as frameworks to structure and articulate these objectives. These frameworks bring clarity and help in aligning teaching strategies with desired learning outcomes.

Purpose of Learning Taxonomies

Taxonomies provide a systematic way to:

Classify learning behaviours from simple to complex.
Define clear instructional goals.
Design measurable and observable learning outcomes.
Align teaching methods with learner expectations.

Three Domains of Learning

Each domain contains general objectives and specific objectives. General objectives outline the broad goals for a course or program, while specific objectives describe measurable and observable behaviors that students should exhibit after instruction. For example, in a Food and Nutrition course, a general objective might be: Understand the components of a balanced diet. A corresponding specific objective could be: Identify at least five principal components of a balanced diet or Define the term “balanced diet.” Each specific objective begins with an action verb—such as identify, define, or describe—that clearly indicates an observable and measurable outcome. This ensures that the learning expectations are precise and assessable.

Domain	Developed By	Focus Area
Cognitive	B.S. Bloom et al. (1956)	Intellectual skills and knowledge
Affective	Krathwohl et al. (1964)	Attitudes, values, and emotions
Psychomotor	Anita Harrow (1972)	Physical and motor skills

Cognitive Domain

The Cognitive Domain involves the development of intellectual abilities and is concerned with the recall or recognition of knowledge and application of thinking skills.

Six Levels of Cognitive Learning Outcomes

Level	Description	Example Action Verbs
1. Kowledge	Recall of previously learned material, from facts to theories.	names, defines, labels, states, selects
2. Understanding	Grasping the meaning of material; interpreting and summarizing content.	interprets, translates, summarises, compares
3. Application	Using learned material in new and concrete situations; applying concepts or rules.	solves, uses, relates, produces, predicts
4. Analysis	Breaking down complex material into parts and understanding their relationship or structure.	identifies, differentiates, illustrates, subdivides
5. Synthesis	Combining elements to form a new structure or plan; producing new output.	categorises, designs, rearranges, reconstructs
6. Evaluation	Making value judgments based on criteria and standards; highest level of cognition.	appraises, justifies, supports, compares

Affective Domain

The Affective Domain focuses on attitudes, emotions, values, and interests that influence learning. Developed by Krathwohl and colleagues, it emphasizes attitudinal change and emotional development.

Key Features:

Involves interest, appreciation, values, and emotional responses.
Closely related to both cognitive and behavioral changes.
Essential for effective learning and often integrated with face-to-face instruction or audio-visual media, especially in distance education.

Five Stages of Affective Learning

Level	Description	Example Action Verbs
1. Receiving (Reception)	Willingness to attend to particular stimuli (e.g., text, activity). Learner becomes aware and sensitive to the existence of stimuli.	chooses, describes, identifies, selects, replies
2. Responding	Active participation and involvement in learning activities. Learner shows motivation and interest (e.g., attending classes, participating in discussions).	discusses, performs, answers, presents, writes
3. Valuing	Learner attaches value or worth to an object, behaviour, or phenomenon (e.g., respecting civic duties).	reports, completes, explains, justifies, studies
4. Organization	Integrating different values, resolving conflicts, and forming a consistent value system (e.g., creating a career plan with social and economic balance).	arranges, combines, modifies, prepares
5. Characterization by a Value Complex	Internalization of values into consistent behaviour patterns. These values shape the learner’s personality and way of life.	displays, listens, revises, solves, uses, verifies

Psychomotor Domain

The Psychomotor Domain addresses the development of physical and motor skills, involving movement, coordination, and use of motor-skill areas.

Key Features:

Concerned with skill-based learning (e.g., driving, painting, swimming).
Often requires face-to-face instruction for mastery, especially in distance education.
Learning progresses from simple motor actions to complex, coordinated behaviours.

Three Characteristics of Psychomotor Learning

Response Chains: Sequential motor movements (e.g., swimming strokes).
Movement Coordination: Integration of sensory input and motor output (e.g., riding a bicycle).
Response Patterns: Mastered behaviours performed smoothly and without error (e.g., typing without looking).

Seven Stages of Psychomotor Learning

Stage	Description	Example Action Verbs
1. Perception	Using sense organs to guide physical activity. Becoming aware of sensory cues that direct movement.	chooses, identifies, selects, relates
2. Set	Readiness to take action. A mental, emotional, or physical disposition to act.	begins, moves, reacts, volunteers
3. Guided Response	Early skill development under instruction. Includes imitation and trial-error learning.	assembles, builds, sketches, manipulates, constructs
4. Mechanism	Learned response becomes habitual with increased confidence and efficiency.	displays, measures, organizes, builds
5. Complex Overt Response	Skilled performance of complex motor tasks with accuracy and efficiency.	assembles, constructs, fixes, manipulates, organizes
6. Adaptation	Ability to modify motor skills to fit special situations or solve problems.	adapts, rearranges, reorganizes, revises
7. Origination	Creating new movement patterns to address unique tasks or challenges.	arranges, combines, designs, originates

Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy

Developed by: John Biggs and Kevin Collis (1982)
Purpose: To systematically describe how student understanding grows in complexity during the learning process.

Key Features:

SOLO taxonomy categorizes learning outcomes based on their structural complexity.
It applies to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of learning.
Describes learning as a hierarchy, moving from simple to complex levels of understanding.

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Level	Description	Learning Outcomes (Action Verbs)
1. Remember	Recall or retrieve knowledge from memory.	Recognize, recall
2. Understand	Comprehend meaning of material using explanations, interpretations, or summaries.	Classify, summarize, interpret, explain, compare
3. Apply	Use knowledge or procedures in new situations.	Execute, implement
4. Analyze	Break material into parts to understand its structure and relationships.	Organize, differentiate
5. Evaluate	Make judgments based on criteria and standards.	Examine, check, assess
6. Create	Combine elements into a new whole or propose original solutions.	Generate, plan, produce

Original vs Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Aspect	Original Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)	Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001)
Structure	Single dimension (cognitive processes)	Two-dimensional framework: 1. Cognitive Process Dimension (verbs) 2. Knowledge Dimension (types of knowledge)
Levels (Hierarchy)	1. Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation	1. Remember 2. Understand 3. Apply 4. Analyze 5. Evaluate 6. Create (replaces “Synthesis”)
Terminology	Uses nouns (e.g., “Knowledge”)	Uses action verbs (e.g., “Remember”)
Highest Level	Evaluation (top level)	Create (now the highest level)
Additional Dimension	None	Includes Knowledge Dimension: – Factual – Conceptual – Procedural – Metacognitive
Focus	Emphasized cognitive skills alone	More dynamic—links cognitive processes with types of knowledge

Q. Match the levels of Bloom’s original taxonomy (Column A) with their correct descriptions (Column B):

Column A	Column B
A. Knowledge	1. Making value judgments based on criteria
B. Analysis	2. Breaking down material into component parts
C. Evaluation	3. Recall of facts, terms, and basic concepts
D. Synthesis	4. Combining parts to form a new whole

Options:
A. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
B. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
C. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
D. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Correct Answer: A. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

Q. Which of the following are features of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy?

It introduces a two-dimensional structure separating knowledge from cognitive processes.
The highest level is “Evaluation” in the revised version.
It uses verbs like “generate”, “plan”, and “produce” under “Create”.
The knowledge dimension includes factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge.

Options:
A. A and B only
B. A, C, and D only
C. A, B, and D only
D. All of the above

Correct Answer: B. A, C, and D only

Q. Statement I: Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy includes both the knowledge type and the cognitive process.
Statement II: This was done to create a unidimensional framework integrating both action and content.

Options:
A. Both statements I and II are true.
B. Both statements I and II are false.
C. Statement I is true, but statement II is false.
D. Statement I is false, but statement II is true.

Correct Answer: C. Statement I is true, but statement II is false.

Q. Arrange the following levels of the Affective Domain (Krathwohl et al.) in the correct sequence from lowest to highest level of internalization:

Organization
Receiving
Characterization by a Value Complex
Valuing
Responding

Options:
A. 2 – 5 – 4 – 1 – 3
B. 5 – 2 – 4 – 1 – 3
C. 2 – 4 – 5 – 1 – 3
D. 1 – 2 – 5 – 4 – 3

Correct Answer: A. 2 – 5 – 4 – 1 – 3

A teacher asks students to analyze their school’s energy use and propose eco-friendly improvements. Which level of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is this activity MOST aligned with?