Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.1 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy ! " "#$ %&'(') !*+* * ! , #( . / 0 ( 1 # 2 '# ,3 (! ( 4 5 6 6 ) / / , - #( . 0 ( # /7! 3 73# ,3 (! 4 5 6 6 ( $ Received 1 Feb., 2010 Revised 10 Jun., 2010 8 7 0 9 . 3 3 3 *Some part of this study has been presented in 8th National Science and Mathematics Education Symposium, Abant Đzzet Baysal University, Bolu TURKEY. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.2 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy 8 The purpose of this study was to analyse and compare the physics questions of the university entrance exam (OSS) with those asked at exams at different schools in Turkey in terms of the levels of cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The study was carried out in four types of high schools (student age: 14–17): ‘Ordinary’, ‘Vocational, ‘Anatolian’and ‘Science’ from Diyarbakır, with 19 physics teachers. It was found that 72.5 per cent of the questions were of the lower order cognitive skills (LOCS) type. Statistical tests showed that the question types were related to school type (P<0.001). On the other hand, about half of the questions asked in the university entrance examination (OSS) were of the higher order cognitive skills (HOCS) type 50.9 per cent and of the lower order cognitive skills (LOCS) 49.1 per cent. This contradiction causes a problem between the assessment at high school and that at the OSS. : skills 4 Bloom Taxonomy, physics education, higher lower order cognitive 7 Education is a process that aims at changing an individual’s behaviour. Some of the important aims of science education are to provide students with lasting learning of scientific concepts, and improve their thinking skills (Saunders & Shepardon, 1987). Planning, teaching, and assessment stages have been used in order to achieve these aims. Assessment is a crucial stage in determining whether students’ conceptual development has reached higher order cognitive skills (HOCS) or not. Assessment aims to make judgements and decisions about the effectiveness of students and teachers (Rosenshine, 1971). In this process, first, it is necessary to test the targeted behaviour by using measurement tools that have high validity and reliability. If we are not clear about the expected behaviour for the students to reach, we can not measure the targeted behaviour. Consequently, the first step in any assessment process is to define students’ behavioural changes. Therefore, a comparison should be made between expected and observed outcomes. For this, written examinations, multiple choice tests, and oral examinations can be used. While written and multiple choice tests are accepted as quantitative measurement tools, oral examinations are known as qualitative tools (Cohen & Manion, 1998). Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.3 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy Physics teachers usually apply written exams to find out whether students learn the content and scientific facts of physics. To assess physics teaching at all types of high school, it is important to determine the quality of questions asked at school exams. Physics is known as a difficult lesson to comprehend by most students. As a result, success of students is rather low on physics questions asked in high school and OSS (Çepni&Azar, 1998; Çepni, Özsevgeç & Gökdere, 2003 ). Because physics teachers think that physics is difficult to understand as a lesson, they generally ask lower order and superficial questions. In fact, according to studies related with the subject, questions consist of 80 per cent reminding(Karamustafaoğlu, Sevim, Karamustafaoğlu & Çepni, 2003; Köse, 1999; Crocks, 1998; Gall, 1984). Lower order questions neither develop intelligence capacity of students nor lead them learning parrot fashion. The students attending a high school, as a result of not meeting questions which need to be thought (thinking with possibilities, thinking imaginably, and correlational thinking), often could not answer them in OSS. Physics questions asked are expresed on the basis of analysis, problem solving on commentary and they can be solved by students who can understand events conceptionally, think analytically and have the ability to solve problems and practicing. If our aim is to make students solve higher order physics questions in OSS and encourage them to improve their system of thinking, We should provide them with appropriate education. The consideration made according to the level of students at schools brings out their real mental skills. The most common criteria used when analysing the instructional objectives and questions is Bloom Taxonomy (BT), developed by Benjamin Bloom and known by his name. BT asserts to prepare questions for measuring thinking skills of students ( Çepni, 2003; Çepni at al., 2007). The main purpose for determining success of students has to be determining and developing their level of cognitive progress by asking well prepared questions. According to BT, cognitive levels are arranged in order, from simple to complex: knowledge level, comprehension level, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation level. As stated by Çepni (2003) and Çepni&Azar(1998), students might be at difference cognitive levels. The quality of the questions asked on exams contributes to creativeness of students and their criticism ability. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.4 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy According to Çepni et al. (2003 and 2007), existing teachers do not make appropiriate determinations on mental developmental characteristics of students. Therefore, many successful students at high school fail on OSS. According to Azar (1998), the teachers in secondary schools do not have enough experience of asking questions by considering BT. Moreover, the cognitive levels of physics questions on OSS are needed to be investigated. HOCS items are defined as quantitative problems or qualitative conceptual questions, unfamiliar to the students, requirine for their solution more than knowledge and application of known algorithms… Such an application may further require (partially or fully) the abilities of reasoning, decision making, analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking (Zoller & Tsaparlis, 1997). In order to improve the quality of teaching, it is widely believed that one must be able to set good/proper questions. Teachers who set HOCS questions foster interaction between themselves and their students (Brualdi, 1998). The purpose of this study was to analyse and compare the physics questions asked in exams at different schools in a province of Turkey, in terms of the levels of cognitive domain of BT. This Taxonomy has been used mostly in designing questions which help teachers to measure students’ thinking abilities (Colletta & Chiappetta, 1989). 0 The purposes of this study were: 1 To compare the cognitive levels of questions asked at high school physics exams and OSS according to BT. 2 To determine the differences at the level of asked questions at high school and OSS exams. 9 The study was carried out in seven high schools (student age: 14 17) in the province Diyarbakır in Turkey: three ‘Ordinary’ high schools, two ‘Vocational and Commercial’ high schools; one ‘Anatolian’ high school and one ‘Science’ high school, which were randomly chosen in Diyarbakır. Ordinary High Schools (OHS) are well known as public high school and students are enrolled to these high schools without any entrance examinations. Vocational and Commercial High Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.5 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy Schools (VCHS) usually accept students who try to enter profession early without graduating university. Anatolian High Schools (AHS) and Science High Schools (SHS) accept students by means of a nation wide selection examination (LGS\OGS). Usually, bright pupils are able to enrol these schools. Almost in each city, there is one AHS. However, in big cities, there are more than one AHS. Besides, there is not one SHS in every cities because of its elite. Eight hundred seventy six (876) written exam questions asked by 19 physics teachers in these schools during two academic terms of 2005 were collected by the researchers. These questions were analysed in terms of the stages of the cognitive domain. Cognitive behaviour consists of cognitive skills and related activities. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy of educational objectives, the cognitive domain is organised into six levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Bloom, 1956). Aims and questions classified according to levels of cognitive domain, together with comments on each question, are summarised in the Appendix. In the analysis process, the authors and the other physics education expert have analysed each question according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. It was found that these three academicians had a high consensus on the levels of the questions. Afterwards, OSS questions were also classified according to the cognitive levels of BT. Both the frequencies of the cognitive levels of physics exam questions and the OSS physics questions in 2005 were compared as of years. Finally, the significance of connections between OSS (2005) and high school physics questions was researched by statistical analyses. . 3 Table I gives the distribution of 876 questions according to school type and to cognitive level. Only about 27.5 per cent of the questions asked were at the higher levels of cognitive domain (analysis, synthesis and evaluation levels). On the other hand, about 20.2 per cent of the questions were at low levels: 6.3 per cent at the knowledge and 13.9 per cent at the comprehension level. The other 52.3 per cent were at the application level. These conclusions are also supported by previous work which demonstrated that most traditional examinations are of the LOCS type (Hand, Prain & Wallace, 2002; Nakhleh, 1993; Zoller, 1993; Çepni et al., 2003; Karamustafaoglu et al., 2003; Köğce, 2005). Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.6 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy 8 7 Distribution of Exam Questions According to School Type and Cognitive Level. ; < 2 ; = - > ; ; > > > > 0.0 2 1.2 55 6.3 Knowledge 33 9.6 20 8.9 Comprehension 77 22.4 29 12.8 2 1.5 14 8.1 122 13.9 Application 171 49.7 147 65.0 56 42.1 84 48.4 458 52.3 Analysis 26 7.6 8 3.5 63 47.4 50 28.9 147 16.8 Synthesis 33 9.6 20 8.9 8 6.0 19 11.0 80 9.1 Evaluation 4 1.1 2 0.9 4 3.0 4 2.4 14 1.6 Total 344 226 133 173 876 Questions asked are related to school types: the observed χ2 statistic assumes the value 207.36, which exceeds the critical value (37.69) (p < .001). Questions at the knowledge level were especially asked at OHS and VCHS. These types of questions were rarely asked at AHS and SHS. Comprehension level questions were asked mostly at Ordinary High Schools (OHS). On the other hand, the application level questions were asked more at VCHS (in order that it is a school that bases on practice). Finally, questions at analysis, synthesis and evaluation levels, which require students to think scientifically, were rarely asked at all at OHS and VCHS; in addition, these types of questions were mostly used in AHS and SHS. It is evident that AHS and SHS teachers tend to set more HOCS type questions, while the teachers in the other types of schools tend to set LOCS type questions. It is worth noting that it has been found that the students who were successful in university entrance exams were especially graduated from AHS (Köse, 1999) and SHS. This may be due to the high success of the AHS and SHS students in the OSS exams. Figure 1 shows graphically this percentage of high schools physics questions level. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.7 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy " Examining The School Physics Questions Levels According to Their Cognitive Level. . OSS physics questions were examined according to their levels of cognitive progress and frequencies of cognitive level of questions were calculated and are presented in Table II as of years. 8 77 Distribution of The OSS Physics Questions According to The Cognitive Level as to Years. ! )??? < = - )??" > )??) > )??$ > )??@ > )??A > > > Knowledge 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Comprehension 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 5.3 0 0.0 3 15.7 0 0.0 4 3.5 Application 9 47.4 10 52.6 12 63.1 12 63.1 4 21.2 5 26.3 52 45.6 Analysis 10 52.6 7 36.8 5 26.3 5 26.3 9 47.4 13 68.4 49 43.0 Synthesis 0 0.0 2 10.6 1 5.3 1 5.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 4 3.5 Evaluation 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 5.3 3 15.7 1 5.3 5 4.4 Total 19 19 19 19 19 19 *Azar(2005) Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. 114 Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.8 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy When researchers have examined the OSS questions between the years of 2000–2005, as seen in Table II, it is observed that 3.5 per cent were at comprehension level, 45.6 per cent at application level, 43.0 per cent at analysis level, 3.5 per cent at synthesis level and 4.4 per cent at evaluation level. Figure 2 shows graphically this percentage of OSS physics questions level. ) Examining OSS Physics Questions Levels According to Their Cognitive Development Level . An analysis was performed on OSS physics questions and high school physics questions according to levels of LOCS. The resuls are given in Table III. 8 777 Analysis OSS Physics Questions and High School Physics Questions According to Levels of LOCS. : > > > High School Questions 55 6.3 122 13.9 458 52.3 OSS exam Questions 0 0.0 4 3.5 52 45.6 Total 55 126 510 OSS physics questions and high school physics questions were analysed according to their levels of HOCS. The resuls are given in Table IV. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.9 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy 8 72 Analysis OSS Physics Questions and High School Physics Questions According to Levels of HOCS. (> > > High School Questions 147 16.8 80 9.1 14 1.6 OSS exam Questions 49 43.0 4 3.5 5 4.4 Total 193 87 19 Figure 3 shows graphically both percentage of high schools and OSS physics questions level. . $ The Levels of OSS (2005) and High School Physics Questions According to BT. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.10 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy 3 According to the findings from this research, it can be understood that teachers involved in this study use questions at application level to determine students’ achievements mostly. On the other hand, OSS exam comprising application and analysing cognitive level questions mostly (Table III, Tablo IV, Figure 3 and Azar, 2005). Examination questions at application and lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy were prepared to measure students’ understanding of concepts, and applying level of physical reactions into problems and teaching formula. However, whether the questions examined in this study were new for students or they had come across them before the exams is not known. Consequently, some questions accepted as the application level, could be at knowledge or comprehension level. Also, researchers concluded that the questions examined were not suitable for students to perceive the basic concepts in physics, assimilate and interpret the physical events, and connect them with daily events and needs. This situation directs students to memorise the science concepts without understanding their real meaning. Although the majority of the high school students take lower scores from the physics exams, these results reflect the real achievement on HOCS. Because, if students answer successfully many questions at OSS exams, they can be accepted as successful students in the Turkish context. In Turkey, the majority of the questions asked in the OSS exams, which have a turning point in students’ life, require analytic thinking and cross examination of concepts (TezbaWaran, 1994). However, it has been reported that students who have high academic achievement in science lessons were not capable of dealing successfully with many questions at the OSS exams (Morgil & Bayan, 1996). Based on the results of this study, the following recommendations can be made, with the aim to contribute to improving students’ thinking abilities and ultimate achievement: • Physics teachers should take into consideration students’ cognitive (developmental) level. For to do it; they have to control their cognitive levels with short quizes which has to applicate in short durations (for exp. Every two weeks). Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.11 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy • Teachers should ask HOCS type questions such as: Ionisation potential refers to the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. The first ionisation potential refers to the energy required to remove the first electron, the second potential refers to the removal of the second electron, etc. Which of the following two would you expect to have a higher ionisation potential: a sulphur atom or a phosphorus atom? Explain. (Zoller, Fastow, Lubezky & Tsaparlis, 1998). • In student teachers’ undergraduate programs, theoretical and practical training should be provided that will make students capable of planning and executing physics lessons, as well as preparing appropriate questions for various cognitive levels. • Teachers should prepare exam questions in collaboration with their colleagues. • Universities having specialists in physics education should give seminars and in service courses on preparing physics lessons and questions. 3 Azar, A. (1998). Special Issues of Physics Teachers’ Professional Development Process. Un Published Doctora Dissertation, Black Sea Technical University Natural Applied Science Institute, Trabzon, Turkey. Azar, A. (2005). Analysis of Turkish High school Physics Examination Questions and University Entrance Exams Questions According to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Journal of Turkish Science Education. Vol. 2 (2). Bloom, B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives 6 Handbook 1. Cognitive Domain. London: Longmans. Brualdi, A.C. (1998). Classroom Questions. Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 6 (6), Eric Document Reproduction No: ED 422407. Cohen, L. & Manion, L. (1998). Research Methods in Education (4th edn.). London: Routledge. Colletta, A.T. & Chiappetta, E.L. (1989). Science Introduction in The Middle and Secondary Schools (2nd edn.). Ohio, USA: Merrill Publishing Company. Çepni, S., Bayrakçeken, S., Yılmaz, A., Yücel, C., Semerci, Ç., Köse, E., Sezgin, F., Demircioğlu, G. & Gündoğdu, G. (2007). Ölçme ve Değerlendirme (1. Baskı). Pegem A Yayıncılık, Ankara. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.12 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy Çepni, S. (2003). An Analysis of University Science Instructors’ Examination Questions According to The Cognitive Levels. Educational Sciences: Theory &Practice, 3(1), 65 84. Çepni, S. & Azar, A. (1998). The Analysis of The Physics Questions, Asked at High Schools Exams (in Turkish). Proceedings of IIIth National Science Education Conference, pp. 109 114. Trabzon, Turkey: KTÜ. Çepni, S., Özsevgeç. T., Gökdere, M. (2003). The Comparing Questions OSS and Entrance High School Exam According to Cognitive Level and The Properties Formal Operational Steps. National Educational Journal, 157, 1 9. Croks, T. J. (1998). The impact of classroom evaluation practice on students. Review of Educational Research 58 (4), 438 481. Gall, M. D. (1984). Synthesis of Research on Teachers’ Questioning. Educational Leadership, 42, 40 47. Gronlund, N.E. (1995). How to Write and Use Instructional Objectives (5th edn.). New Jersey USA: Simon and Schuster Company. Hand, B., Prain, V., & Wallace, C. (2002). Influence of writting task on students’ answers to recall and higher level test questions. Research in Science Education, 32, 19 34. Karamustafaoğlu, S., Sevim, S., Karamustafaoğlu, O., & Çepni, S. (2003). Analysis of Turkish High school Chemistry Examination Questions According to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice, 4(1), 25 30. Köğce, D. (2005). A comparison of the mathematics questions used in the University Entrance Exam (OSS) and high schools in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy, Unpublished Master Thesis, Institute of Science, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon. Köse, M.R. (1999). Entrance to University and Schools. Hacettepe Journal of Education, 15, 51 60. Morgil, F.Đ. & Bayan, S. (1996). Success of Secondary School Students in Solving Physics Questions of OSS and OYS Examinations. Hacettepe Journal of Education, 12, 215 220. Nakhleh, M.B. (1993). Are Our Students Conceptual Thinkers or Algorithmic Problem Solvers? Journal of Chemical Education, 70, 52 55. Rosenshine, B. (1971). Teaching Behaviours and Student Achievement. London: National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales. Saunders, W.L. & Shepardon, D.A. (1987). Comparison of Concrete and Formal Science Instruction Upon Science Achievement and Reasoning Ability of Sixth Grade Students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 24, 39 51 TezbaWaran, A.A. (1994). Cognitive Behaviours on OSS Examinations. Hacettepe Journal of Education, 10, 79 84. Zoller, U. (1993). Are Lecturing and Learning Compatible? Maybe for LOCS: Unlikely for HOCS. Journal of Chemical Education, 70, 195 197. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.13 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy Zoller, U. & Tsaparlis, G. (1997). Higher and Lower order Cognitive Skills: The Case of Chemistry. Research in Science Education, 27, 117 130. Zoller, U., Fastow, M., Lubezky, A. & Tsaparlis, G. (1998). College Students Self assessment in Chemistry Examinations Requiring Higher and Lower Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS and LOCS) An Action Oriented Research. Journal of Chemical Education, 76, 112 113. Researchers found that chemistry exam questions could be included into each of the six classifications of Bloom (Colletta & Chiappetta, 1989; Gronlund, 1995). During analysis of the questions, the following criteria were used. 1.6 Knowledge. Questions on the knowledge level require the students to remember facts they have already learned and recall these as they have been learned. Question: Can you define what is an atom? 2.6Comprehension. Students must be able to rephrase information, using their own statements and translate knowledge into new context and interpret graphs, tables, charts and cartoons. Question: When a mechanical or electromagnetic wave goes from one medium to another, it undergoes a change in (a) amplitude only; (b) both speed and wavelength; (c) speed only; (d) wavelength only. 36 Application. Students are required to identify the relevant information and rules to arrive at asolution and solve problems by using known algorithms. Question: Two identical conducting spheres, A and B, carry equal electric charge. They are separated by a distance much larger than their diameter and exert an electrostatic force F on each other. A third identical conducting sphere C is initially uncharged and far away from A and B. Sphere C is then brought briefly into contact with sphere A, then with sphere B, and finally removed far away. The electrostatic force between A and B is now Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9, p.14 (Jun., 2010) Serhat KOCAKAYA and Selahattin GÖNEN Analysis of Turkish high school physics examination questions according to Bloom’s taxonomy (a) 3F=8 ; (b) F=2 ; (c) F=4 ; (d) F=16 . 46 Analysis. The analysis level requires that students separate an idea into its parts or elements and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of the parts to the whole. Question: In the circuit below, we increase the resistance R2. If Ij is the current through resistor Rj (j = 1; 2; 3), then (a) I1 and I2 both increase; (b) I1 decreases and I2 increases; (c) I1 and I2 both decrease; (d) I1 increases and I2 decreases. 56 Synthesis. Questions on synthesis level permit students to devise ways to design experiments and test hypotheses. Students may be required to write a paper and a report in which ideas are synthesized or problems are solved. Question: Design an experiment which can be use to find friction constant of a surface? 66 Evaluation. Questions at this level require students to make judgements about the value or merit of an idea, purpose, solution to a problem, procedure, method or product. This level requires students to use the other five levels of the taxonomy to varying degrees. Question: Describe the effects of radioactivity on atoms. Explain your answer. Copyright (C) 2010 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 11, Issue 1, Article 9 (Jun., 2010). All Rights Reserved.