Exploring english teachers' creativity in classroom practices and assessments: a multifaceted approach utilizing bloom's taxonomy

Abstract This paper delved into the essential thinking skills that English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers perceive as crucial for the development of English learners in both English classrooms and testing papers. The research examined these skills in the contexts of both classroom instruction and test design, highlighting the role of critical, creative, and analytical thinking in enhancing learners' language proficiency and academic performance. By identifying the thinking skills teachers prioritize, the study underscores the importance of equipping learners with the cognitive tools they need to navigate language learning more independently and successfully. To this end using a descriptive-based mixed-method design, a sample of 120 EFL teachers completed a meticulously designed researcher-made questionnaire aimed at eliciting insights into the thinking levels they prioritize during both teaching and the creation of test items. Additionally, a detailed analysis of test items from 10 EFL teachers was conducted to explore the types of test items aligned with Bloom's revised model. Furthermore, 5 teachers underwent observational scrutiny during two sessions each and one session of semi-structured interview, offering a firsthand exploration into their real-time practices, all framed within the model, as well as exploring their attitudes towards creativity. The results of the study showed and highlighted the significance of the first two levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (Remembering and Understanding), but not the other levels, both in real classroom settings and on exam sheets. Furthermore, even though the teachers were aware of the role of creativity in English classroom, there was a noticeable lack of the fifth and sixth levels (creating and evaluating) in the data.