The Effects of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Enriched Instruction on EFL Learners’ Writing Performance in an Academic Writing Course

Abstract

Bloom’s Taxonomy has received considerable attention on a global scale since it was first introduced by Benjamin Bloom and his associates in 1956. Since then, it has served as the basis for test design and curriculum development in many institutions globally. Bloom’s Taxonomy was revised in 2001 by Lorin W. Anderson and his associates to refine terms in learning objectives. Six classifications have been set to define learning outcomes in a graded way. To this aim, current study was carried out to measure the effects of Revised Bloom Taxonomy enriched instruction on students’ scores in an Academic Writing course. 40 students,17 female and 23 male ones, were chosen through systematic sampling method. The students were studying at TISHK International University Language Preparatory School located in Erbil, Iraq in 2021-2022 Academic Year. Control group students received traditional writing instruction, whereas experimental group students were exposed to Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy integrated instruction. The study lasted 12 weeks, and each student was required to write 6 essays according to a pre-defined plan. Data were collected via a pre-test, a post-test exam, an interview and a survey, in line with a mixed method research design. The findings of the study revealed that Revised Bloom Taxonomy based writing instruction increased students’ writing scores substantially, improved their motivation and changed their attitudes towards learning the rules of creative writing in a graded format, whereas the gains were not noticeable in the control group. The findings of the study can have some implications for stakeholders in education who are exploring ways to integrate taxonomy into their Academic Writing course curriculum.

Keywords

• revised bloom’s taxonomy
• efl learners
• academic writing