An analysis of assessment tasks and learning outcomes in Grade 10 history curricular materials in the era of competency-based curriculum reform

Ethiopia’s post-2018 educational reforms prioritize competency-based learning to cultivate critical thinking and historical inquiry, yet classroom practices remain tethered to rote memorization. This study evaluates the cognitive demands of Ethiopia’s Grade 10 History Textbook – a cornerstone of post-reform pedagogy – through a summative content analysis framed by Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model. A content analysis of 156 cognitive objectives and 267 assessment tasks revealed that 53.19% focused on lower-order thinking skills (LOTS: remembering, understanding, applying), while 46.78% targeted HOTS (analyzing, evaluating, creating). Assessment tasks predominantly included multiple-choice (32%) and short-answer questions (34%), with minimal performance-based tasks (3.5%) and no document-based questions. The findings indicate a textbook emphasis on factual retention rather than critical inquiry, undermining Ethiopia’s post-2018 educational reforms and hindering the development of historical thinking competencies. The study advocates for urgent curricular revisions to embed historical thinking skills (e.g. sourcing and corroboration), teacher professional development programs and assessment reforms that prioritize analytical rigor over memorization. By bridging Ethiopia’s aspirational policies with classroom realities, this research contributes guidance for aligning Ethiopian educational reforms with 21st-century pedagogical standards, emphasizing the development of analytical, critical, creative and problem-solving skills.