Cognitive Levels of Questioning Demonstrated by New Social Studies Textbooks: What the Future Holds for Elementary Students.

A major aim of the social studies according to state and local educational goals is to foster students' thinking skills. This study was conducted to determine, according to Bloom's taxonomy, the levels of questioning generated by third-grade social studies textbooks. It examined the extent to which each selected textbook emphasized higher levels of questioning (above knowledge level) and compared the textbooks' frequency ratings of knowledgeand above-knowledge-level questioning. The two series selected for study were: "Communities: Harcourt Brace Social Studies" (2000) and "Communities: Macmillan-McGraw Social Studies" (1997). Lesson plans and accompanying questions for in-class use were obtained for classification. Three raters were trained in question classification using the six major categories of Bloom's taxonomy (1956). Based on the assumption that the Harcourt Brace and Macmillan-McGraw textbooks are representative of all new social studies textbooks, an encouraging trend emerges from the study's analysis. These textbooks offer opportunities for applying and evaluating information in higher order question-and-answer classroom recitation previously omitted in textbook publications. Findings suggest that elementary students exposed to the most recent editions of social studies textbooks will have opportunities, as encouraged by questions included in teachers' editions, to understand, apply, synthesize, and evaluate critically social studies concepts. Contains a table, 2 figures, and 19 references. (BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Cognitive Levels of Questioning Demonstrated by New Social Studies Textbooks: What the Future Holds for Elementary Students U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION I Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) N BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization r..) Cr0 1,9 P originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to Cr) IZ, improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES , Points of view or opinions stated in this 1 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document do not necessarily represent N official OERI position or policy. Cr) © 0 Gregory P. Risner, Ed.D. Ci) Janice I. Nicholson, Ed.D. Brenda Webb, Ed.S. University of North Alabama November 2000