Domain Dependency

                                            Domain Dependency

Introduction

            Learning is not an event. It is a process. It is the continual growth and change in the brain’s architecture that results from the many way we take in information, process it, connect it, catalogue it, and use it. Learning is consisting of three major domains. Thus, the evaluations also concentrate on the domains.

Domain- Meaning

            Domain means an area of interest or an area over which a person has control.

            It also a particular interest, activity, type of knowledge.

Background of Domains in Learning

            During 1950’s, Benjamin S. Bloom led a team of educational psychologists in the analysis of the academic learning behaviors. He aimed to develop a system with different categories of learning behavior to assist in the design and assessment of educational learning. The results of his approach produced what is known today in the field of education as Bloom’s taxonomy. The designed learning domains are:

·       Cognitive: Mental Skills (Knowledge), Consisting six levels.

·       Affective: Growth in emotional or feeling areas. (5 levels)

·       Psychomotor: Manual/ physical skills (7 levels)

1)     Cognitive domain:

      Cognitive domain deals with how a student acquires processes and utilizes the knowledge. It is the thinking domain. This domain focuses on intellectual skills and is familiar to educators. It has the following six levels;

Knowledge: It is the recalling of previously learnt materials.

Comprehension: It is the grasping of the meaning of materials.

Application: It is the use of previously learnt materials in new situations.

Analysis: It is the breaking down of materials into their components and clarifying organization structure.

Synthesis: It means creatively putting parts together to produce a new whole.

Evaluation: It means judging the value of a material based on personal values   and opinions.

2)    Affective Domain

                 Affective domain is critical for learning, but is often not specifically addressed. This domain focuses on attitude, motivation, willingness to learn, participate, valuing, what is being learned and incorporating these discipline values into real life. The levels in it are;

  Receiving: Students passively listens/pays attention.

  Responding: The student actively participates in the learning process and reacts.

  Valuing: The student can put together different values, information and ideas and accommodate them within his own schema.

              Characterizing: The student holds a particular value or belief that now exerts influence on his behaviour so that it becomes a characteristic.

3)    Psychomotor Domain

   The domain of behaviour that includes physical moment, co-ordination and use of motor skills is called psychomotor domain. The levels are:

Imitation: Observing and patterning behaviour after someone else.

Manipulation: Being able to perform certain actions by following instructions and practicing?

Precision: Refining and becoming more exact. A few errors are apparent.

Articulation: Coordinating a series of actions, achieving harmony and internal consistency.

Naturalisation:  Having high level performance, become natural and spontaneous.

Importance of Domain Dependence during Classroom Assessment

               Teachers must know the concepts, knowledge and skills to be taught within a domain, the precursors necessary for acquiring them, and what a successful performance in each looks like. With this knowledge they are able to define a learning progression of sub goals toward the desired learning that will act as the framework to guide assessment and instruction. A sufficiently detailed progression will also supply the resources for recognizing when the students have successful performances and when they have not, and in providing them with proper feedback about their learning status in relation to goals.

Ways to Measure Cognitive Domain

·       Class discussion

·       Organized class notes

·       Tutorials

·       Provide sufficient information through charts

·       Self cheek quizzes

·       Conducting course seminars and viva voce

·       Practice questions with answers and ‘expert’ explanations.

Assessment Tools for Affective Domain

Self report: Individual gives an account of his attitude or feeling toward a concept, idea/people.

eg: why don’t I like mathematics?

ü  Rating scales: Set of categories designed to elicit information about a quantitative attribute in subject/ideas.

ü  Semantic Differential scales: helps to assess an individual’s reaction to specific words, ideas, concepts.

eg: Good____________________________ Bad

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ü  Thurshone Scale: addressed the issue of how favorable an individual is with regard to a given issue.

ü  Likert Scales: This requires an individual to fide on a box to report whether they ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘undecided’, ‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’.

ü  Checklists: Here the teacher/Student marks as ‘absent’ or ‘present’.

Assessment Tools for Psychomotor Domain

ü  Performing arts

ü  Training using computers, projectors

ü  Competitions

ü  Physical education activities

Conclusion

               The assessment of various learning domains are very important in the educational process. Thus, it is necessary make the students aware of the learning objectives and apply various assessment tools for assessing learning domains.

Bibliography

Jamaludeen, K. (2012).Effective teaching of English. Manjeri: Quality Publishers.

Kalaiyarasan, G. (2012). Curriculum development. Delhi: APH Publishing House.

Kasilingam,G.,RamalingamM.,& Chinnavan, E.(2014).Journal of young pharmacists.   

            Malaysia: AIMST University.