INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF A BLOOM’S TAXONOMY-BASED STRATEGY ON EFL STUDENTS’ SELF-GENERATED READING QUESTIONS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS: A VIETNAMESE CLASSROOM STUDY
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of explicit instruction in Bloom’s Taxonomy on the cognitive levels of self-generated reading questions by Vietnamese EFL university students, as well as their perceptions of this strategy. Adopting an exploratory case study design, the researcher worked with 15 university students from non-English majors, who took part in three online sessions of a reading course. The participants were asked to formulate their own comprehension questions before and after being introduced to Bloom’s hierarchical framework. Content analysis of the questions revealed a modest shift toward higher-order thinking, with the emergence of Create-level questions (5.6%) and increases in Apply and Evaluate categories. Meanwhile, thematic analysis of the students’ written reflections revealed a gradual shift in their perceptions, moving from initial uncertainty and difficulty to increased confidence, strategic awareness, and recognition of cognitive benefits. Despite remaining challenges in formulating higher-level questions, most of the students expressed a willingness to apply the strategy in future academic reading. The findings highlight the pedagogical potential of Bloom’s Taxonomy not only as a tool for teachers but also as a metacognitive scaffold to support learner autonomy and critical engagement with texts in EFL contexts.
Keywords
EFL students, self-generated questions, Bloom’s Taxonomy, learner perceptions, reading comprehension
Article Details
References
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Banditvilai, C. (2020). The effectiveness of reading strategies on reading comprehension. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 46-50. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijssh.2020.v10.1012
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and researching autonomy in language learning (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833767
Bharuthram, S. (2018). Facilitating active reading through a self-questioning strategy: student and tutor experiences and reflections of the strategy use. Journal for Language Teaching, 51(2), 85. https://doi.org/10.4314/jlt.v51i2.4
Bloom, B. S. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. Longmans, Green.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brook-Hart, G., & Jakeman, V. (2012). Complete IELTS Bands 5–6.5: Student's Book with Answers with CD-ROM. Cambridge University Press.
Causey, C., & Spencer, A. (2024). Student-Generated Questions: An Exploration of an Instructional Strategy with Young Children. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 53, 101608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101608
Cheng, W., & Yu, F. (2021). Leveraging context for computer-supported student-generated questions and EFL learning in grammar instruction: Its effects on task performance. In Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2021). Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education. https://library.apsce.net/index.php/ICCE/article/view/4261
Chin, C., & Brown, D. E. (2002). Student-generated questions: A meaningful aspect of learning in science. International Journal of Science Education, 24(5), 521–549. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690110095249
Chin, C., & Osborne, J. (2008). Students’ questions: A potential resource for teaching and learning science. Studies in Science Education, 44(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057260701828101
Eriksson, L. (2022). Difficulties in academic reading for EFL students: An initial investigation. Language Teaching, 56(1), 149–152. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444822000246
Fadila, L., Dalimunthe, S. A., & Siagian, N. (2024). Strategies to improve English reading comprehension. Fonologi: Jurnal Ilmuan Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris, 2(3), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.61132/fonologi.v2i3.774
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and Researching: Reading (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833743
Işır, E., & Uyar, Y. (2022). Investigating reading comprehension questions and student-generated questions in language lessons in terms of level. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(4), 440–455. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.04.676
Joseph, L.M., Alber-Morgan, S.R., Cullen, J.M., & Rouse, C.A. (2016). The effects of self-questioning on reading comprehension: A literature review. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 32, 152-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2014.891449
Lin, C., & Yu, F. (2022). The effect of contextual student-generated questions on efl learners' english learning performance, language learning strategy use, and perceived cognitive load. International Conference on Computers in Education, 24-33. https://library.apsce.net/index.php/ICCE/article/view/4566
Maab, S. H., Ramadhanti, S. F., Payung, N. F., & Yulia, Y. (2024). Critical thinking in academic reading: EFL students’ perceptions and challenges. VELES: Voices of English Language Education Society, 8(1), 206–219. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25096
Mokhtari, K., & Sheorey, R. (2002). Measuring ESL students’ awareness of reading strategies. Journal of Developmental Education, 25(3), 2–10.
Momen, A., Ebrahimi, M., & Hassan, A. M. (2022). Importance and implications of theory of Bloom's Taxonomy in different fields of education. In H. A. El-Miniawi, N. A. Shalaby, & M. A. El-Seoud (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Intelligent Systems (pp. 515–525). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20429-6_47
Monrad, S., Zaidi, N., Grob, K., Kurtz, J., Tai, A., Hortsch, M., Gruppen, L., & Santen, S. (2021). What faculty write versus what students see? Perspectives on multiple-choice questions using Bloom’s taxonomy. Medical Teacher, 43, 575-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2021.1879376
Msaddek, M. (2020). The incorporation of self-questioning training in the reading comprehension course: The case of Moroccan EFL university learners. Studies in Literature and Language, 20, 6-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/11754
Nguyen, C. D. (2008). Using Bloom’s revised taxonomy to design in-class reading questions for intermediate students in the context of Vietnam. VNU Journal of Science: Foreign Languages, 24(3), 175–183. https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/3205
Nguyen, D. T., & Nguyen, T. H. G. (2023). Research on the relationship between reading comprehension questions, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and critical thinking competence to adapt to the practical needs of teaching reading comprehension developing critical thinking: A case study of Vietnam. International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.54922/IJEHSS.2023.0513
Nguyen, H. T. M. (2023). The washback of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an English language proficiency exit test on the learning of final-year English majors. English Australia Journal, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27106a8
Nguyen, T. P. N, Janssen, J., Rijlaarsdam, G., & Admiraal, W. (2016). Effects of self-questioning on EFL students’ engagement in literary reading. Culture and Education, 28(4), 702-737. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2016.1231759
Nguyen, T. T. B., Tran, T. T. N., & Hoang, T. L. N. (2020). Vietnamese EFL students’ critical thinking via reflective journals in American-British literature classes. Hue University Journal of Science: Social Sciences and Humanities, 129(6B), 91–115. https://doi.org/10.26459/hueuni-jssh.v129i6B.5786
Phan, N. T. T., Quang, H. T., & Nhat, T. T. M. (2019). The effectiveness of a TOEIC preparation course on non-English majored students’ TOEIC scores at a university in Vietnam. Journal of Science and Technology – Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.46242/jst-iuh.v37i01.312
Phan, Q. N. (2024). Guiding students to ask themselves questions in teaching reading comprehension of modern Vietnamese short stories in high schools in Vietnam. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 7(5), 3079–3088. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i05-65
Phuong, H. Y., & Nguyen, L. G. (2018). English teachers’ questions in a Vietnamese high school reading classroom. JEELS (Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies), 4(2), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v4i2.353
Spencer, A., Causey, C. B., Ernest, J. M., & Barnes, G. F. (2020). Using student-generated questions to foster twenty-first-century learning: International collaboration in Uganda. The Excellence in Education Journal, 9(1).
Suhaila, J., Aisyah, S. M. R., Harahap, E. B. K., & Lubis, Y. (2025). Improving reading comprehension skills in reading. Invention Journal Research and Education Studies, 477–487. https://doi.org/10.51178/invention.v6i2.2564
Sunggingwati, D. (2009). Developing teachers’ and students’ use of self-questioning strategy in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context in Indonesia. [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Queensland].
Talib, A. B. H., & Abdallah, B. (2023). The Effect of Self-Questioning Strategy on EFL Tenth-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension. Journal of International Education and Practice, 6(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v6i2.5525
Thi, N. M. T., Le, T. S., & Nguyen, T. P. N. (2024). The effects of self-questioning and perceptions on learning reading comprehension of EFL students at the university level. Journal of Inquiry into Languages and Cultures, 8(1), 84-96. https://doi.org/10.63506/jilc.0801.8
Untailawan, F. (2023). Bloom’s taxonomy and reading comprehension in English teaching: Evaluating teachers’ questioning. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 13(3), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.31940/soshum.v13i3.306-317
Wilson, L. O. (2001). Bloom’s taxonomy revised. The Second Principle. Retrieved on May 29, 2025 from https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/blooms-taxonomy-revised/
Wisinski, J., & Yu, A. (2020). Is the Bloom taxonomy level of student‐generated exam‐style questions predictive of exam performance? The FASEB Journal, 34(S1), 03999. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03999
Yu, F., & Chen, H. (2024). The more structured, the better? Learning effects of online scaffolds with different structures for student question generation. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2024.2437747
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2
Banditvilai, C. (2020). The effectiveness of reading strategies on reading comprehension. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 46-50. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijssh.2020.v10.1012
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and researching autonomy in language learning (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833767
Bharuthram, S. (2018). Facilitating active reading through a self-questioning strategy: student and tutor experiences and reflections of the strategy use. Journal for Language Teaching, 51(2), 85. https://doi.org/10.4314/jlt.v51i2.4
Bloom, B. S. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. Longmans, Green.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brook-Hart, G., & Jakeman, V. (2012). Complete IELTS Bands 5–6.5: Student's Book with Answers with CD-ROM. Cambridge University Press.
Causey, C., & Spencer, A. (2024). Student-Generated Questions: An Exploration of an Instructional Strategy with Young Children. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 53, 101608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101608
Cheng, W., & Yu, F. (2021). Leveraging context for computer-supported student-generated questions and EFL learning in grammar instruction: Its effects on task performance. In Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2021). Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education. https://library.apsce.net/index.php/ICCE/article/view/4261
Chin, C., & Brown, D. E. (2002). Student-generated questions: A meaningful aspect of learning in science. International Journal of Science Education, 24(5), 521–549. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690110095249
Chin, C., & Osborne, J. (2008). Students’ questions: A potential resource for teaching and learning science. Studies in Science Education, 44(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057260701828101
Eriksson, L. (2022). Difficulties in academic reading for EFL students: An initial investigation. Language Teaching, 56(1), 149–152. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444822000246
Fadila, L., Dalimunthe, S. A., & Siagian, N. (2024). Strategies to improve English reading comprehension. Fonologi: Jurnal Ilmuan Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris, 2(3), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.61132/fonologi.v2i3.774
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and Researching: Reading (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833743
Işır, E., & Uyar, Y. (2022). Investigating reading comprehension questions and student-generated questions in language lessons in terms of level. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(4), 440–455. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.04.676
Joseph, L.M., Alber-Morgan, S.R., Cullen, J.M., & Rouse, C.A. (2016). The effects of self-questioning on reading comprehension: A literature review. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 32, 152-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2014.891449
Lin, C., & Yu, F. (2022). The effect of contextual student-generated questions on efl learners' english learning performance, language learning strategy use, and perceived cognitive load. International Conference on Computers in Education, 24-33. https://library.apsce.net/index.php/ICCE/article/view/4566
Maab, S. H., Ramadhanti, S. F., Payung, N. F., & Yulia, Y. (2024). Critical thinking in academic reading: EFL students’ perceptions and challenges. VELES: Voices of English Language Education Society, 8(1), 206–219. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25096
Mokhtari, K., & Sheorey, R. (2002). Measuring ESL students’ awareness of reading strategies. Journal of Developmental Education, 25(3), 2–10.
Momen, A., Ebrahimi, M., & Hassan, A. M. (2022). Importance and implications of theory of Bloom's Taxonomy in different fields of education. In H. A. El-Miniawi, N. A. Shalaby, & M. A. El-Seoud (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Intelligent Systems (pp. 515–525). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20429-6_47
Monrad, S., Zaidi, N., Grob, K., Kurtz, J., Tai, A., Hortsch, M., Gruppen, L., & Santen, S. (2021). What faculty write versus what students see? Perspectives on multiple-choice questions using Bloom’s taxonomy. Medical Teacher, 43, 575-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2021.1879376
Msaddek, M. (2020). The incorporation of self-questioning training in the reading comprehension course: The case of Moroccan EFL university learners. Studies in Literature and Language, 20, 6-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/11754
Nguyen, C. D. (2008). Using Bloom’s revised taxonomy to design in-class reading questions for intermediate students in the context of Vietnam. VNU Journal of Science: Foreign Languages, 24(3), 175–183. https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/3205
Nguyen, D. T., & Nguyen, T. H. G. (2023). Research on the relationship between reading comprehension questions, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and critical thinking competence to adapt to the practical needs of teaching reading comprehension developing critical thinking: A case study of Vietnam. International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.54922/IJEHSS.2023.0513
Nguyen, H. T. M. (2023). The washback of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an English language proficiency exit test on the learning of final-year English majors. English Australia Journal, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27106a8
Nguyen, T. P. N, Janssen, J., Rijlaarsdam, G., & Admiraal, W. (2016). Effects of self-questioning on EFL students’ engagement in literary reading. Culture and Education, 28(4), 702-737. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2016.1231759
Nguyen, T. T. B., Tran, T. T. N., & Hoang, T. L. N. (2020). Vietnamese EFL students’ critical thinking via reflective journals in American-British literature classes. Hue University Journal of Science: Social Sciences and Humanities, 129(6B), 91–115. https://doi.org/10.26459/hueuni-jssh.v129i6B.5786
Phan, N. T. T., Quang, H. T., & Nhat, T. T. M. (2019). The effectiveness of a TOEIC preparation course on non-English majored students’ TOEIC scores at a university in Vietnam. Journal of Science and Technology – Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.46242/jst-iuh.v37i01.312
Phan, Q. N. (2024). Guiding students to ask themselves questions in teaching reading comprehension of modern Vietnamese short stories in high schools in Vietnam. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 7(5), 3079–3088. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i05-65
Phuong, H. Y., & Nguyen, L. G. (2018). English teachers’ questions in a Vietnamese high school reading classroom. JEELS (Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies), 4(2), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v4i2.353
Spencer, A., Causey, C. B., Ernest, J. M., & Barnes, G. F. (2020). Using student-generated questions to foster twenty-first-century learning: International collaboration in Uganda. The Excellence in Education Journal, 9(1).
Suhaila, J., Aisyah, S. M. R., Harahap, E. B. K., & Lubis, Y. (2025). Improving reading comprehension skills in reading. Invention Journal Research and Education Studies, 477–487. https://doi.org/10.51178/invention.v6i2.2564
Sunggingwati, D. (2009). Developing teachers’ and students’ use of self-questioning strategy in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context in Indonesia. [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Queensland].
Talib, A. B. H., & Abdallah, B. (2023). The Effect of Self-Questioning Strategy on EFL Tenth-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension. Journal of International Education and Practice, 6(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.30564/jiep.v6i2.5525
Thi, N. M. T., Le, T. S., & Nguyen, T. P. N. (2024). The effects of self-questioning and perceptions on learning reading comprehension of EFL students at the university level. Journal of Inquiry into Languages and Cultures, 8(1), 84-96. https://doi.org/10.63506/jilc.0801.8
Untailawan, F. (2023). Bloom’s taxonomy and reading comprehension in English teaching: Evaluating teachers’ questioning. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 13(3), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.31940/soshum.v13i3.306-317
Wilson, L. O. (2001). Bloom’s taxonomy revised. The Second Principle. Retrieved on May 29, 2025 from https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/blooms-taxonomy-revised/
Wisinski, J., & Yu, A. (2020). Is the Bloom taxonomy level of student‐generated exam‐style questions predictive of exam performance? The FASEB Journal, 34(S1), 03999. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03999
Yu, F., & Chen, H. (2024). The more structured, the better? Learning effects of online scaffolds with different structures for student question generation. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2024.2437747
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2