Cognitive levels of instruction and student performance in college of agriculture courses. Unpublished doctoral dissertation

1973; Stevens, 1912) suggests that the main emphasis in schools has been teaching students facts, even though teachers and curriculum designers have attested to the importance of teaching students to think (Gall, 1970; Roberts, 1974). Newcomb and Trefz (1987) in a study of college professors of agriculture, stated that professors of agriculture concerned themselves with the subject matter their students learned, but that these same professors were less concerned about the cognitive level of their instruction as well as level of student performance. The authors of this study were concerned that not only teachers of agriculture at the college level, but teachers of agriculture at all educational levels practice the pattern of teaching suggested by Newcomb, and Trefz (1987). If students are limited to repeating back to the teacher that which was given to them, then not much learning of an enduring nature has occurred. And, if insufficient learning occurs at the higher levels of cognition, then students are not graduated adept at operating at the higher orders of cognition, i.e., analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The teacher's lack of concern identified by Newcomb and Trefz (1987) regarding the cognitive level of instruction and student performance may not only lead to a lowered teaching standard, but may well lead to a lowered level of competence on the students ’ behalf. Given the precedin