Self-Awareness and Personal Growth: Theory and Application of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Abstract

Problem Statement:In this article, we summarize a group-based, self-development curriculum based on humanistic principles, framed by contemporary self-determination theory (SDT), and designed in accordance with Bloom’s Taxonomy. The processes of awareness and integration are common to SDT and Bloom’s Taxonomy, and to our knowledge, have not been applied together with the practical goal of promoting the  studentself-development in an educational setting.

Purpose of the Study:The underlying assumptions of our curriculum hold that (1) the self functions as the psychological agent responsible for regulating personal behavior, and that (2) personal growth is an outcome of the motivation to fulfill intrinsic goals coupled with the integration of learning through an awareness of personal limitations and potentialities. We describe the design and implementation of a school-based curriculum that integrates core elements of SDT with the sequential levels of cognitive and affective learning articulated by Bloom’s Taxonomy and that is intended to facilitate the student self-development.

Method: Three distinct theoretical and empirical ingredients of SDT form the basis of our curriculum: goals and values, organismic integration, and mindful action. These core components of SDT are rooted in the humanistic tradition but can be transformed into a sequence of practical learning goals and activities when viewed through the lens of Bloom’s Taxonomy. We demonstrate how Bloom’s Taxonomy provides the architecture needed to implement the elements of SDT in such a way that students are able to engage in a programmatic process of self-development. In other words, the levels of Bloom Taxonomy are used to structure the application of the broad SDT/humanistic principles on which personal growth is founded.

Findings: Combined with the anecdotal reactions of group members and facilitators, our impressions suggest that the consistent expression of personally selected values and characteristics requires that these aspects first become internalized as meaningful guides for living, second, motivate behavior that is consistent with the chosen values and characteristics, and third, contribute to a sense of well-being and personal growth.

Conclusion and Recommendations: The process of self-development can be facilitated by the internalization of cognitive learning and is supported by affective processes that, together, yield favorable developmental outcomes for students.  Although we did not subject our group-based curriculum to rigorous empirical evaluation, we encourage efforts to establish its effectiveness through qualitative and quantitative research.

Keywords: Self-awareness, motivation, personal growth, Bloom’s Taxonomy

Keywords

• Self-awareness, motivation, personal growth, Bloom’s Taxonomy

References

1. Allen, K., & Friedman, B. (2010). Affective learning: A taxonomy for teaching social work values. Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, 7(2). Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/fall2010/f10neuman.pdf
2. Alloy, L. B., & Abramson, L. Y. (1979). Judgment of contingency in depressed and nondepressed students: Sadder but wiser? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 108, 441–485. doi:10.1037/0096-3445.108.4.441
3. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman. Bauer, J. J., & McAdams, D. P. (2004). Growth goals, maturity, and well-being. Developmental Psychology, 40, 114–127. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.40.1.114
4. Bauer, J. J., Park, S. W., Montoya, R. M., & Wayment, H. A. (2015). Growth motivation toward two paths of eudaimonic self-development. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16, 185-210. doi:10.1007/s10902-014-9504-9
5. Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high selfesteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 1-44. doi:10.1111/1529-1006.01431
6. Berndt, T. J. (1999). Friends' influence on students' adjustment to school. Educational Psychologist, 34, 15-28. doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3401_2
7. Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook I: The cognitive domain. New York, NY: David McKay.
8. Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York, NY: David McKay.

9. Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundation and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211- 237. doi:10.1080/10478400701598298
10. Burton, K. D., Lydon, J. E., D’Alessandro, D. U., & Koestner, R. (2006). The differential effects of intrinsic and identified motivation on well-being and performance: Prospective, experimental, and implicit approaches to selfdetermination theory. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 91, 750-762. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.4.750
11. Buss, D. M. (2000). The evolution of happiness. American Psychologist, 55, 15-23. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.15
12. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The 'what' and 'why' of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
13. Fox, E., & Riconscente, M. (2008). Metacognition and self-regulation in James, Piaget, and Vygotsky. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 373-389.doi:10.1007/s10648- 008-9079-2
14. Frankl, V. E. (1969). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. London, UK: Hodder & Stoughton.
15. Frost, K. M., & Frost, C. J. (2000). Romanian and American life aspirations in relation to psychological well-being. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 31, 726–751. doi:10.1177/0022022100031006004
16. Inzlicht, M., Bartholow. B. D., & Hirsh, J. B. (2015). Opinion: Emotional foundations of cognitive control. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19, 26-132. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2015.01.004
17. Jahoda, M. (1953). The meaning of psychological health. Social Casework, 34, 349-354.
18. Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). A dark side of the American dream: Correlates of financial success as a central life aspiration. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 65, 410-422. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.2.410
19. Kiaci, Y. A., & Reico, T. G., Jr. (2014). Goal pursuit and eudaimonic well-being among university students: Metacognition as the mediator. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 19(4), 91-104. doi:10.1037/h0101085
20. Kidder, R. M. (1994a). Shared values for a troubled world: Conversations with men and women of conscience. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
21. Kidder, R. M. (1994b). Universal human values. Futurist, 28(4), 8-13.
22. Kinnier, R. T., Kernes, J. L., & Dautheribes, T. M. (2000). A short list of universal moral values. Counseling & Values, 45, 4-17. doi:10.1002/j.2161- 007X.2000.tb00178.x
23. Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41, 212-264. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2
24. Krathwohl, D. R., & Anderson, W. L. (2010). Merlin C. Wittrock and the revision of Bloom's Taxonomy. Educational Psychologist, 45,64-65. doi:10.1080/00461520903433562
25. Levesque, C., & Brown, K. W. (2007). Mindfulness as a moderator of the effect of implicit motivational self-concept on day-to-day behavioral motivation.
26. Motivation & Emotion, 31, 284-299. doi:10.1007/s11031-007-9075-8 Levesque, C., Copeland, K. J., & Sutcliffe, R. A. (2008). Conscious and nonconscious processes: Implications for self-determination theory. Canadian Psychology, 49, 218-224. doi:10.1037/a0012756
27. Maslow, A. H. (1950). Self-actualizing people: A study of psychological health. PersonalitySymposium, 1, 11-34. Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a psychology of being (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Van Nostrand.
28. Newman, R. S. (2000). Social influences on the development of children's adaptive help seeking: The role of parents, teachers, and peers. Developmental Review, 20, 350-404. doi:10.1006/drev.1999.0502
29. Pintrich, P. R., & de Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33-40. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
30. Régner, I., Loose, F., & Dumas, F. (2009). Students' perceptions of parental and teacher academic involvement: Consequences on achievement goals. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 24, 263-277. doi:10.1007/BF03173016d
31. Robins, R. W., & Beer, J. S. (2001). Positive illusions about the self: Short-term benefits and long-term costs. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 80, 340-352. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.2.340
32. Roeser, R. W., & Peck, S. C. (2009). An education in awareness: Self, motivation, and self-regulated learning in contemplative perspective. Educational Psychologist, 44, 119-136. doi:10.1080/00461520902832376
33. Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of psychotherapy. London, UK: Constable.
34. Rogers, C. R. (1964). Toward a modern approach to values: The valuing process in the mature person. Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology, 68, 160-167. doi:10.1037/h0046419
35. Ryan, A. M. (2000). Peer groups as a context for the socialization of adolescents' motivation, engagement, and achievement in school. Educational Psychologist, 35, 101-111. doi:10.1207/S15326985EP3502_4
36. Ryan, R. M., Chirkov, V. I., Little, T. D., Sheldon, K. M., Timoshina, E., & Deci, E. L. (1999). The American dream in Russia: Extrinsic aspirations and well-being in two cultures. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1509-1524. doi:10.1177/01461672992510007
37. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). The darker and brighter sides of human existence: Basic psychological needs as a unifying concept. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 319- 338. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_03
38. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. In S. Fiske (Ed.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 52, pp. 141-166). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
39. Ryan, R. M., Huta, V., & Deci, E. L. (2008). Living well: A self-determination theory perspective on eudaimonia. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 139-170. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9023-4
40. Schmuck, P., Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The relationship of well-being to intrinsic and extrinsic goals in Germany and the U.S. Social Indicators Research, 50, 225-241. doi:10.1023/A:1007084005278
41. Schneider, K. (2011). Toward a humanistic positive psychology: Why can’t we just get along. Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 22, 32-38
42. Schueller, S. M., & Seligman, M. E. (2010). Pursuit of pleasure, engagement, and meaning: Relationships to subjective and objective measures of well-being. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 253-263. doi:10.1080/17439761003794130
43. Schunk, D. H. (1999). Social-self interaction and achievement behavior. Educational
44. Psychologist, 34, 219-227. doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3404_3 Schwartz, S. H. (2006). Les valeurs de base de la personne: Théorie, mesures et applications [Basic human values: Theory, measurement, and applications]. Revue Francaise deSociologie, 42, 249-288.
45. Seligman, M. E. P. (2007). Coaching and positive psychology. Australian Psychologist, 42, 266-267. doi:10.1080/00050060701648233
46. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
47. Sheldon, K., Joiner, T., Pettit, J., & Williams, G. (2003). Reconciling humanistic ideals and scientific clinical practice. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 302- 315. doi:10.1093/clipsy.bpg026
48. Shoda, Y., Wilson, N. L., Whitsett, D. D., Lee-Dussud, J., & Zayas, V. (2015). The person as a cognitive-affective processing system: Quantitative ideography as an integral component of cumulative science. In M. Mikulincer, P. R. Shaver, M. L. Cooper, & R. J. Larsen (Eds.), APA handbook of personality and social psychology, Volume 4: Personality processes and individual differences (pp. 491- 513). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
49. Stevens, M. J., Constantinescu, P-M., & Butucescu, A. (2011). Aspirations and wellbeing in Romanian and U.S. undergraduates. International Journal of Psychology, 46, 436-445. doi:10.1080/00207594.2011.565344
50. Stevens, M. J., Constantinescu, P-M., Ugur, H., & Constantinescu, I. (2015). Causality orientations and psychological well-being in young European and Eurasian adults. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 4, 37-50. doi:10.1037/ipp0000028
51. Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 93–210. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.2.193
52. Tuominen-Soini, H., Salmela-Aro, K., & Niemivirta, M. (2008). Achievement goalorientations and subjective well-being: A person-centered analysis. Learning &Instruction, 18, 251–266. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.05.003
53. Ugur, H., Tanrikulu, T., & Tosun, U. (2015). Personal awareness and emotional reactions: A study of content analysis. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 34(2), 237-248. doi:10.9761/JASSS2846
54. Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., & Deci, E. L. (2006). Intrinsic versus extrinsic goal contents in self-determination theory: Another look at the quality of academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 41, 19-31. doi:10.1207/s15326985ep4101_4
55. Vansteenkiste, M., Niemiec, C. P., & Soenens, B. (2010). The development of the five mini-theories of self-determination theory: An historical overview, emerging trends, and future directions. In T. C. Urdan & S. A. Karabenick (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement: The decade ahead. Theoretical perspectives on motivation and achievement (Vol. 16A, pp. 105-165). London, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
56. Waterman, A. S. (2008). Reconsidering happiness: A eudaimonist's perspective. Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 234-252. doi:10.1080/17
57. Wentzel, K. R., & Wigfield, A. (2007). Motivational interventions that work: Themes and remaining issues. Educational Psychologist, 42, 261-271. doi:10.1080/00461520701621103
58. White, M. A., & Murray, A. S. (Eds.). (2015). Evidence-based approaches in positive education: Implementing a strategic framework for well-being in schools. New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9667-5
59. Williams, W. M., & Blythe, T. (2002). Practical intelligence for school: Developing metacognitive sources of achievement in adolescence. Developmental Review, 22, 162-210. doi: 10.1006/drev.2002.0544
60. Wolbert, L. S., de Ruyter, D. J., & Schinkel, A. (2015). Formal criteria for the concept of human flourishing: The first step in defending flourishing as an ideal aim of education. Ethics and Education, 10, 188-129. doi:10.1080/17449642.2014.998032
61. Wolters, C. A. (2003). Regulation of motivation: Evaluating an underemphasized aspect of self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 38, 189-205. doi:10.1207/S15326985EP38041