Assessment tasks in STEM education: integrating Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy and Cognitive Load Theory
Sultanova G.
2025Routledge
Research in Science and Technological Education
2025
Background: In the era of rapid technological advancement, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is crucial for equipping students with the skills to solve complex real-world problems. However, designing assessment tasks that foster higher-order thinking skills while optimizing cognitive resources remains a key challenge. Purpose: This paper addresses this challenge by integrating two influential frameworks: Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, which categorizes cognitive processes into six hierarchical levels, and Cognitive Load Theory, which optimizes cognitive resources by distinguishing among three types of cognitive load. Sample: As a theoretical paper, no empirical sample was analysed; the focus is on conceptual integration to inform future studies. Design and methods: This study integrates two frameworks through a constructivist lens, mapping cognitive processes to cognitive load. A literature review informed a theoretical model linking prior knowledge, cognitive load, and cognitive processes in the context of STEM assessment. Result: The integration of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy and Cognitive Load Theory yields a unified framework for assessment design, clarifying how cognitive processes correspond to load types. The framework emphasizes schema acquisition and higher-order thinking as essential for cultivating 21st-century skills such as scientific creativity. In addition, the model generates a set of research questions and hypotheses to guide future empirical investigations in STEM education. Conclusion: This integrated approach is the first to systematically articulate the relationships between cognitive load types and both lower- and higher-order thinking skills, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of assessment design in STEM education.
assessment design , Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy , Cognitive Load Theory , higher-order thinking , STEM education
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Center for Pedagogical Measurements, Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, Astana, Kazakhstan
Center for Pedagogical Measurements
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