The relevance of Bloom's taxonomy for technologically aligned pedagogies in the South African Open Distance Learning environment

Abstract

This mini-dissertation explores the continued relevance of Bloom’s Taxonomy as a prominent pedagogical tool for South African Higher Education, specifically within the Open Distance Learning (ODL) environment. The transitioning of higher education institutions into more online or blended and hybrid modalities, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, made it necessary to look into the suitability of pedagogical tools that were widely in use at the time of the pandemic breakout. Adopting an interpretivist paradigm, a document analysis of 362 HEQSF accredited qualifications on the SAQA public database, and a qualitative case study approach comprising semi-structured interviews with seven higher-education professionals, the study examined the perspectives of South African Higher Education professionals on their experiences using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a fundamental element of qualification accreditation (using semi-structured interview and thematic analysis to identify underlying themes), to determine whether Bloom’s Taxonomy is still relevant in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The findings revealed widely contrasting perspectives. It is acknowledged that Bloom’s Taxonomy is diminishing in importance as a standalone pedagogical tool as the world shifts to a more online global learning experience shaped through social engagement. At the same time, the taxonomy is still seen as a fundamental requirement for qualification accreditation in the context of the South African regulatory environment. This is the case because the qualification design and approval process has largely been reduced to a mechanical, administrative, or procedural task rather than providing an opportunity for cognitive development, assessment, and content scaffolding, as was originally intended in the 1956 design of the taxonomy. The mini-dissertation concludes by highlighting that, whilst Bloom’s Taxonomy will continue to influence the South African Open Distance Learning environment, from a qualification accreditation perspective, its relevance can only be substantiated if it is merged with more contemporary frameworks to effectively support the digital competencies required in a technology-driven economy.

Hierdie mini-verhandeling ondersoek die voortgesette toepaslikheid van Bloom se Taksonomie as ’n prominente pedagogiese hulpmiddel vir Suid-Afrikaanse Hoër Onderwys, spesifiek binne die omgewing van Oop Afstandsleer (OAL). Die oorgang van hoër onderwysinstellings na ‘n modaliteit grootliks gerugsteun deur ‘n aanlyn- en/of hybriede model, deur die COVID-19-pandemie teweeggebring, het die ondersoek na die geskiktheid van pedagogiese hulpmiddels wat algemeen gebruik is tydens die uitbreek van die pandemie, genoodsaak. Die paradigma wat die studie ten grondslag lê is interpretivistiese navorsing. Vir die doel, is 362 HOKSR (HEQSF)-geakkrediteerde kwalifikasies op SAKO (SAQA) se openbare databasis ge-analiseer. Dit is ondersteun deur ‘n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie-benadering bestaande uit sewe semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met hoër onderwys praktisyns. Die doel hiervan was om hulle perspektiewe deur middel van sekere temas te analiseer. Die onderhoude het dus gefokus op hulle ervarings met die gebruik van Bloom se Taksonomie as ’n fundamentele element van die akkrediitasie van kwalifikasies, ten einde vas te stel of Bloom se Taksonomie nog steeds relevant is binne die konteks van die 4de Industriële Revolusie. Die bevindinge het wyd uiteenlopende perspektiewe aan die lig gebring. Daar word erken dat Bloom se Taksonomie besig is om af te neem in belangrikheid as ’n alleenstaande pedagogiese hulpmiddel namate die wêreld verskuif na ’n meer aanlyn globale leerervaring gevorm deur sosiale betrokkenheid. Terselfdertyd word die taksonomie steeds as ’n fundamentele vereiste vir die akkreditasie van kwalifikasies binne die konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse regulatoriese omgewing beskou. Dit is die geval omdat die ontwerp- en goedkeuringsproses van kwalifikasies grootliks bestaan uit meganiese- en/of administratiewe take en prosedures, eerder dat ‘n geleentheid gebied word vir kognitiewe ontwikkeling, die steiering van inhoud en assessring soos oorspronklik bedoel was met die 1956-ontwerp van die taksonomie. Die mini-verhandeling sluit af deur te beklemtoon dat, alhoewel Bloom se Taksonomie voortgaan om die Suid-Afrikaanse oop afstandsleer omgewing te beïnvloed vanuit die perspektief van die akkreditasie van kwalifikasies, die voortgesette toepaslikheid sal afhang van die samevoeging met kontemporêre raamwerke om die digitale vaardighede vereis deur ‘n tegnologie-gedrewe ekonomie, effektief te ondersteun.

Mini-disertšene ye e lekola go tšwela pele ga bohlokwa bja Taksonomi ya Bloom bjalo ka sedirišwa se segolo sa pedagogi Thutong e Phagameng ya Afrika Borwa, kudu ka gare ga maemo a Thuto ya Kgojana. Go fetogela ga diinstitušene tša thuto ye e phagameng go ya mekgweng ya inthanete fela, goba mekgweng ye e hlakantšhitjwego le inthanete, ye e hlohleleditšwego ke leuba la COVID-19, e dirile gore go be bohlokwa go lekola maleba a didirišwa tša pedagogi tšeo di bego di dirišwa kudu nakong ya go phatlalala ga leuba leo. Ka go dira mokgwa wa thuto wa interpretivist, tshekatsheko ya ditokomane tša 362 dithuto tše di dumellegileng ke HEQSF godimo ga polokelo ya setšhaba ya SAQA, le mokgwa wa nyakišišo ya tlhokomelo ye e akareditšego dipoledišano tše di hlophišitšwego le baporofetšonale ba šupa ba thuto e phagameng, nyakišišo ye e hlahlobile maikutlo a baporofetšonale ba Thuto e Phagameng ya Afrika Borwa godimo ga boitemogelo bofela bja bona ka go diriša Taksonomi ya Bloom bjalo ka karolo ya motheo ya netefatšo ya dithuto (ka go diriša dipoledišano tše di sa hlophišitšwego le tshekatsheko ya mookotaba go hlaola mehlametlo ye e tšwelelago), go bona ge eba Taksonomi ya Bloom e sa na le bohlokwa ka gare ga maemo a tšwelopele ya indasteri ya bone. Diphihlelelo di bontšhitše maikutlo a go fapana kudu. Go lemogilwe gore bohlokwa bja Taksonomi ya Bloom bo a fokotšega bjwalo ka sedirišwa sa pedagogi seo se ikemetseng, ka ge lefase le fetogela boitemogelo bja thuto ya inthanete lefase ka bophara, bjo bo hlohleleditšwego ke go nkgopola ga leago. Le ge go le bjwalo, taksonomi ye e sa tšewa bjalo ka senyakwa sa motheo sa netefatšo ya dithuto ka gare ga melao ya thuto ya Afrika Borwa. Se ke ka gore prošeše ya thlamo le go dumella dithuto e feditšwe go dira wa mešomo ya botseta, taolo le tsamaiso, go na le go fa monyetla wa kago ya monagano, tlhahlobo le thekgo ya diteng, bjalo ka ge go rerilwe khatisong ya 1956 ya taksonomi ye. Mini-disertšene ye e phetha ka go gatelela gore, le ge Taksonomi ya Bloom e tlo tšwela pele go ama maemo a Thuto ya Kgojana a Afrika Borwa, go tšwa lehlakoreng la netefatšo ya dithuto, bohlokwa bja yona bo ka netefatšwa fela ge e kopanywa le ditlhaka tša pedagogi tše di sa tsofelago, go thekga ka maleba bokgoni bja dijithale bjo bo nyakegago ikonoming e laolwago ke theknoloji.