The taxonomy in the affective domain contains a largenumber of objectives in the literature expressed asinterests, attitudes, appreciation, values, and emotionalsets or biases. (Krathwohl et al, 1964). The descriptionsof each step in the taxonomy culled from Krathwohl’sTaxonomy of Affective Domain (1964) are given asfollows:

Is being aware of or sensitive to theexistence of certain ideas, material orphenomena and being willing to toleratethem.

Examples include: todifferentiate, to accept, to listen(for), to respond to.

Is committed in some small measure to

the ideas, materials or phenomena

involved by actively responding to them.

Examples are: to comply with, to

follow, to commend, to volunteer,

to spend leisure time in, to

acclaim.

Is willing to be perceived by others as

attaching importance to certain ideas,

materials or phenomena.

Examples include: to increase

measured proficiency in, to relinquish,

to subsidize, to support, to debate.

Is relating the value to those already

held and bring it into a harmonious and

internally consistent philosophy.

Examples are: to discuss, totheorize, to formulate, tobalance, to examine.

By value or value set is to act

consistently in accordance with the

values he or she internalized.

Examples include: to revise, to require, tobe rated high in the value, to avoid, toresist, to manage, to resolve.

Affective desired learningcompetencies are oftenstated in the form ofinstructional objectives.What the are instructionalobjectives?

Instructional objectives are specific, measurable, short term, observable studentbehaviors.

Objectives are the foundation upon which you can build lessons and assessmentsthat you can prove meet your overall course or lesson goals.

Think of objectives as tools you use to make sure you reach your goals. They are thearrows you shoot towards your target (goal).

The purpose of objectives is not to restrict spontaneity or constraint the vision ofeducation in the discipline; but to ensure that learning is focused clearly enough thatboth students and teacher know what is going on, and to learning can be objectivelymeasured. Different archers have different styles, so do different teachers. Thus, youcan shoot your arrows (objectives) in many ways. The important thing is that theyreach your target (goals) and score that bulls eye!

LEVEL DEFINITION EXAMPLE

RECEIVING Being aware of or attending tosomething in the environment

Individual would read a book

passage about civil rights

RESPONDING Showing some new behaviorsas a result of experience

Individual would answer questions

about the book, read another book by

the same author, another book about

civil rights, etc

VALUING Showing some definiteinvolvement or commitment

The individual might demonstrate

this by voluntarily attending a lecture

on civil rights.

ORGANIZATION Integrating a new value intoone’s general set of valuesgiving it some ranking amongone’s general priorities

The individual might arrange a civil

rights rally

CHARACTERIZATIONBY VALUES

Acting consistently with thenew values

The individual is firmly committed

to the value, perhaps becoming a

civil rights leader.

RECEIVING RESPONDING VALUING ORGANIZATION CHARACTERIZATION

Accept

Attend

Develo

p

Recogn

ize

∆Comple

te

∆Comply

∆Cooper

ate

∆Discuss

∆Examin

e

∆Obey

∆Respon

d

Acce

pt

Defen

d

Devot

e

Pursu

e

Seek

Codify

Discrimi

nate

Display

Order

Organize

Systemat

ize

Weigh

┼Internal

ize

┼Verify

In the affective domain and in particular when weconsider learning competencies we also consider thefollowing focal concepts:

Attitudes are defined as a mental predisposition to act that isexpressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree offavor or disfavor. Individuals generally have attitudes that focus onobjects, people or institutions. Attitudes are also attached tomental categories. Mental orientations towards concepts aregenerally reffered to as values. Attitudes are comprised of fourcomponents:

Cognitions are our beliefs, theories,expectancies, cause and effect beliefs,and perceptions relative to the focalobject. This concept is not the same as“feelings” but just a statement ofbeliefs and expectations which vary fromone individual to the next.

The affective component refers toour feeling with respect to the focalobject such as fear, liking, or anger.For instance the color “blue” evokesdifferent feelings for differentindividuals: some like the color blueother do not some associate the colorblue with “loneliness” while othersassociate it with “calm and peace”.

BEHAVIORAL INTENTION

Behavioral intentions are our goals,aspirations and our expected responses tothe attitude object.

Evaluations are often considered the central

component of attitudes. Evaluations consist of the

imputations of some degree of goodness or badness

to an attitude object. When we speak of a positive or

negative attitude toward an object, we are referring to

the evaluative component. Evaluations are a function

of cognitive, affect and behavioral intentions of the

object. It is most often the evaluation that is stored in

memory, often without the evaluation corresponding

cognitions and affect that were responsible for its

formation. (Robert School, University of Rhode

Island, 2002)