Analyzing Cognitive Processes and Multiple Intelligences in the Top-Notch Textbooks

This study aimed to analyze the Top-Notch series (Fundamentals, Top-Notch 1, Top-Notch 2, Top-Notch 3, Summit 1, and Summit 2) to find out the extent to which these ELT textbooks could represent the six cognitive processes (i.e., remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating), as well as multiple intelligences (i.e., verbal, logical, spatial, bodily, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and existential) drawing on revised Bloom's taxonomy (BRT) and multiple intelligence (MI) frameworks. To this end, content analysis was done to obtain the frequencies and percentages of various cognitive processes, ranging from lower- to higher-order levels, and nine intelligences. Results showed that remembering and evaluating processes received the highest and the least percentages of cognitive processes in all the six textbooks; applying, understanding, creating, and analyzing came in between. Moreover, the higher-order processes (i.e., analyzing, evaluating, and creating) were less frequently represented in the Top-Notch textbooks than lower-order ones (i.e., remembering, understanding, and applying). Furthermore, verbal and existential intelligences received the highest and the least percentages of multiple intelligences in Top-Notch series. The results imply that there is a need to improve the Top-Notch textbooks in terms of higher-order cognitive processes and provide ground to develop various types of intelligences.