Adult Teaching Methods in China and Bloom’s Taxonomy

Drawing from Bloom’s 1956 Taxonomy and Western theories on adult learning, the authors argue that adult teaching methods in China feature a teacher-centered, information-based and test-driven instructional format. An author-designed survey instrument called Lower-Order Thinking Skills and Higher-Order Thinking Skills (LOTSHOTS) was used to determine whether knowledge, comprehension and application drove adult teaching methods or analysis, synthesis and evaluation drove adult teaching methods in China. The results of the study showed that Chinese instructors of adults were used to teaching lower thinking skills associated with the first three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, namely, knowledge, comprehension and application. The study proposes some possible reasons and implications of such practices, and suggests that teaching higher order thinking skills to Chinese adult students might widen their horizon in engaging more openly in learning