Activation Of Prior Knowledge Research Articles

Strategies to Improve English Reading Comprehension

This study explores strategies aimed at enhancing English reading comprehension. With the backdrop of a complex information era, where proficient reading skills are crucial for accessing and applying information, the study focuses on interactive reading techniques, vocabulary acquisition, prior knowledge activation, and reading fluency as key components. The research adopts a literature review approach, synthesizing findings from existing studies to identify effective strategies. The primary objective is to ascertain which methods best contribute to improved reading comprehension in educational settings. Findings indicate that interactive techniques such as group discussions and role-playing, coupled with explicit vocabulary instruction and prior knowledge activation strategies, significantly enhance comprehension levels. Furthermore, fostering reading fluency through repeated reading and guided oral sessions positively correlates with improved comprehension abilities. The study concludes that a holistic approach integrating these strategies is essential for developing proficient readers who can engage effectively with diverse texts and contexts.

Linguistically Diverse students’ Views on the Role of Prior Knowledge When Reading Texts in Civics Textbooks

Activation of prior knowledge is vital for reading comprehension. However, little is known about students’ perceptions of what prior knowledge they view as significant for improving their learning from textbook texts in civics. This study explores how Swedish ninth-grade students, aged 14–16, with diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds, engage with two grade-level civics textbook texts by drawing on their prior knowledge. A four-field model is used to closely study the possibilities with civics texts, focusing on students’ prior knowledge. Thematic content analysis of the students’ statements from two think-aloud sessions reveals the emergence of seven distinct categories of prior knowledge. For instance, parents’ narratives and teacher explanations are underlined as essential resources for students to enhance their comprehension of the content of civics texts, thereby supporting their civics learning. The findings suggest that challenges with civics texts may not be a result of a lack of prior knowledge but may rather be due to the limited opportunities the students receive to activate their prior knowledge when engaging with civics texts. The students report that they face challenges in activating their prior knowledge when they encounter language- and content-related difficulties with civics texts. This underscores the pivotal role of civics teachers in facilitating prior knowledge activation before, during, and after reading civics texts. The four-field model can be used as a tool for analyzing and understanding the intricacies of reading civics texts. Using the model could support civics teachers in designing instruction to minimize challenges and improve students’ learning in civics.

Engineering Education in the Age of AI: Analysis of the Impact of Chatbots on Learning in Engineering

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of using AI chatbots on learning within the context of engineering education. We framed this study on the principles of how learning works in order to describe the contributions and challenges of AI chatbots in five categories: (1) facilitating the acquisition, completion, or activation of prior knowledge and helping organize knowledge and making connections; (2) enhancing student motivation to learn; (3) fostering self-directed learning and the acquisition, practice, and application of the skills and knowledge they acquire; (4) supporting goal-directed practice and feedback; and (5) addressing student diversity and creating a positive classroom environment. To elicit the uses, benefits, and drawbacks of using AI chatbots in students’ learning, we conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data gathered from surveying 38 student volunteers from 5 different electronic and mechatronic engineering courses at a South American university. Based on a literature review and an evidence-based discussion, we offer practical suggestions for instructors who want to promote the use of AI to enhance their students’ learning.

Supporting Students' Knowledge Activation before, during, and after Reading

AbstractKnowledge activation and knowledge building are essential for reading comprehension. Yet, how can teachers support students in accessing and applying their existing knowledge and experiences during reading? This article provides six evidence‐based principles to consider during literacy instruction, which are drawn from a recent systematic literature review that examined prior knowledge activation instructional scaffolds. These principles are: (a) activate knowledge before, during, and after reading; (b) activate knowledge collaboratively; (c) support students in understanding connections between concepts; (d) support students in recognizing discrepancies between their knowledge and the text; (e) address misunderstandings; and (f) consider the amount of topic‐specific knowledge that students have. These principles have the potential to shift how teachers think about the role of knowledge activation throughout the reading process.

Prior knowledge Activation through the use of Effective Reading Strategies

Prior knowledge plays a crucial role in students' performance when it comes to utilizing effective reading strategies. When students possess prior knowledge related to the topic they are reading about, they can make connections, draw upon their existing understanding, and engage in more meaningful comprehension. Having prior knowledge allows students to activate their schema, which refers to the mental framework of information and experiences they have already acquired. This schema acts as a foundation for new learning and helps students make sense of new information. For example, if a student has prior knowledge about the solar system, they can easily comprehend and retain new information about planets or space exploration. Moreover, prior knowledge enables students to predict and anticipate what they might encounter while reading. By activating their prior knowledge, students can generate hypotheses about the content of the text, which enhances their engagement and motivation.

Problematising Simplicity: Addressing Comprehension Gaps of RFI’s ‘Le Journal en Français Facile’

This paper evaluates Malawian learners’ French language comprehension abilities concerning the French radio program ‘Le Journal en français facile’ (The News in Simple French), broadcast by Radio France Internationale. Specifically, it assesses learners’ levels of aural comprehension of this Francophone news content designed for non-native audiences. The paper examines whether the universal applicability of the ‘français facile’ (simple French) concept across heterogeneous learners can be assumed, considering linguistic aspects deemed elementary from a Francophone perspective may not prove equivalently rudimentary for anglophone learners of French. Methodologically, the paper is grounded in the Bottom-up and Top-down listening comprehension model, which emphasises integrating linguistic and prior sociocultural knowledge to facilitate aural meaningmaking. Through French listening exercises and teacher interviews with a sample of Malawian college students, the study highlights limitations in comprehension, with listeners restricted to grasping essential lexical news components like numbers, names and locations while failing to parse complex news concepts —attributed to newscaster accent, pronunciation, speech rate, unfamiliar vocabulary, and insufficient prior knowledge activation. This paper argues the notion of “simple” French may be misconstrued when applied uniformly across diverse global learners engaging with RFI broadcasts, evidenced by difficulty comprehending the news program among numerous Malawian learners despite its simplified linguistic profile. Mastery of these broadcasts, it is contended, necessitates more advanced proficiency.

Classifying and modeling secondary students’ active learning in a virtual learning environment through generated questions

The present research study investigated students' active learning activities at three time points during the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) on cardiac anatomy and physiology. Because VLEs are not only immersive but also interactive, the user must engage with the instruction to move the instruction forward; thus, engaging the user in an active (rather than passive) educative experience. What types of active learning is garnered from such educational technologies, among secondary aged science learners, was the focus of the study. By using open-ended questioning and the active learning framework by Chi (2009), this research study collected students' questions they had about the science content which was then categorized inductively and deductively by active processes (activation of prior knowledge), constructive processes (garnering new knowledge), and interactive processes (creating new understandings beyond the scope of the curriculum). Results from coding questions from 151 secondary students (75 in sixth grade and 76 in ninth grade) revealed significance in sixth graders’ abilities to progress from active processes to the higher and more sophisticated learning processes; significant changes were found among ninth graders to progress from active to constructive processes and from constructive to interactive learning processes. The presence of interactive processes suggests that VLEs are immersive, interactive, and able to foster robust science learning.

Workshop Brainstorming: Mengaktifkan Pengetahuan Awal Siswa Sebelum Memasuki Topik Diskusi

A brainstorming workshop is an activity to activate students' prior knowledge before entering into discussion topics. This workshop aims to provide effective instructors to engage and awaken students' prior knowledge and experiences. This workshop is based on the idea that students must have prior knowledge of a topic before entering into a topic of discussion. The aim of this workshop is to provide facilitators who can engage students in the process of activating their prior knowledge. Participants who attended this workshop totaled 59 people consisting of 30 students in semester 6A and 29 students in semester 6B who were prospective participants in the Field Experience Practice (PPL). The results obtained were that most of the students felt very satisfied, satisfied, and quite satisfied because they had good knowledge and competence after participating in student prior knowledge activation workshops, before entering into discussion topics in the teaching and learning process. This workshop is very useful for students, especially teaching practice in the field. And through this workshop, you can improve the abilities that students currently have, which can be applied in schools where they practice.

Do students learn more from failing alone or in groups? Insights into the effects of collaborative versus individual problem solving in productive failure

Productive Failure (PF) is an instructional design that implements a problem-solving phase which aims at preparing students for learning from a subsequent instruction. PF has been shown to facilitate students’ conceptual knowledge acquisition in the mathematical domain. Collaboration has been described as a vital design component of PF, but studies that have investigated the role of collaboration in PF empirically so far, were not able to confirm the necessity of collaboration in PF. However, these studies have diverged significantly from prior traditional PF studies and design criteria. Therefore, the role of collaboration in PF remains unclear. In an experimental study that is based on the traditional design of PF, we compared a collaborative and an individual problem-solving setting. It was hypothesized that collaboration facilitates the beneficial preparatory mechanisms of the PF problem-solving phase: prior knowledge activation, awareness of knowledge gaps, and recognition of deep features. In a mediation analysis, the effects of collaborative and individual problem solving on conceptual knowledge acquisition as mediated through the preparatory mechanisms were tested. In contrast to the hypotheses, no mediations or differences between conditions were found. Thus, collaboration does not hold a major preparatory function in itself for the design of PF.

Leveraging What Students Know to Make Sense of Texts: What the Research Says About Prior Knowledge Activation

This systematic literature review examined the research on prior knowledge and its activation to ascertain how these terms are defined, what specific techniques have been empirically investigated, and the conditions under which prior knowledge activation facilitated students’ comprehension. Fifty-four articles met the inclusion criteria and revealed that the terms prior knowledge and prior knowledge activation were often vaguely defined. Further, 30 unique techniques for activating readers’ prior knowledge representing eight different categories were identified. Those categories were open-ended prompts, procedural or strategic supports during reading, visual representations, analogical reasoning, text alteration, augmented activation, extratextual activities, and spontaneous activation. Techniques meant to facilitate knowledge activation prior to reading were most common, although the prompting of students’ existing knowledge was beneficial during and after reading as well. Variability in the effectiveness of activation techniques was related, in part, to the amount, accuracy, and specificity of students’ knowledge. Based on the key findings identified in this review, recommendations for future inquiry are forwarded, including suggested definitions of prior knowledge and prior knowledge activation.

DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILL BY ACTIVATING STUDENTS’ PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

This article considers the similarities and differences between listening and reading, and then looks specifically at why the activation of prior knowledge is perhaps even more important in listening than in reading comprehension. Finally, there is a concrete example of activating prior knowledge in listening materials.

Forecasting Earthquake Magnitude and Epicenter by Incorporating Spatiotemporal Priors Into Deep Neural Networks

Forecasting earthquake magnitude and epicenter is of great significance for disaster management and hazard mitigation. Existing machine learning-based earthquake forecasting has faced two shortcomings: limited historical earthquake samples for training and lack of explicit consideration of seismic prior knowledge. We propose a novel Spatio-Temporal Priors-Informed Deep Networks (STPiDN) that incorporates seismic spatio-temporal prior knowledge into deep neural networks using limited historical earthquake samples. In our method, a Physics-informed Recurrent Graph Network (PRGN) is developed to extract representations of observed earthquake precursor data in a physics-informed manner. In order to make prior-guided earthquake predictions, we develop seismic prior knowledge activation layers that combine earthquake event representations with prior knowledge (e.g. fault distribution) through activation gates. An adaptive multi-task loss function is proposed to achieve joint magnitude and epicenter forecasting with the consideration of alleviating the magnitude and epicenter imbalance problem. Our empirical evaluation results show that the proposed forecasting method outperforms several competing methods on a real-world earthquake dataset, proving that physics-informed prediction methods have the potential to capture complex earthquake patterns using limited training samples.

Vocabulary, text coverage, word frequency and the lexical threshold in elementary school reading comprehension

Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important elements of reading comprehension. Text coverage is the proportion of known words in a given text. We hypothesize that text comprehension increases exponentially with text coverage due to network effects and activation of prior knowledge. In addition, the lexical threshold hypothesis states that text comprehension increases faster above a certain amount of text coverage. The exponential relationship between text coverage and text comprehension, as well as the lexical threshold, are at the heart of text comprehension theory and are of great interest for optimizing language instruction. In this study, we first used vocabulary knowledge to estimate text coverage based on test scores from N = 924 German fourth graders. Second, we compared linear with non-linear models of text coverage and vocabulary knowledge to explain text comprehension. Third, we used a broken-line regression to estimate a lexical threshold. The results showed an exponential relationship between text coverage and text comprehension. Moreover, text coverage explained text comprehension better than vocabulary knowledge, and text comprehension increased more quickly above 56% text coverage. From an instructional perspective, the results suggest that reading activities with text coverage below 56% are too difficult for readers and likely inappropriate for instructional purposes. Further applications of the results, such as for standard setting and readability analyses, are discussed.

An integrated model of learning from errors

Errors are inevitable in most learning contexts, but under the right conditions, they can be beneficial for learning. Prior research indicates that generating and learning from errors can promote retention of knowledge, higher-level learning, and self-regulation. The present review proposes an integrated theoretical model to explain two major phases of learning from self-generated errors: the Generating Errors (GE) phase, which contributes to learning via semantically related prior knowledge activation, and the Detecting and Correcting Errors (DCE) phase, which contributes to learning via self-explanation when processing and comparing one’s responses with provided reference information to promote high-quality internal feedback. Our model identifies general design principles that support each phase based on prior empirical research. We conclude by identifying research gaps and future directions regarding specific design features of the GE and DCE phases and the role of students’ emotion, motivation, and individual differences in learning from errors.

REGULATING COGNITIVE LOAD: PRIOR KNOWLEDGE ACTIVATION IN LEARNING ECOSYSTEM

The ecosystem is a multidiscipline and complex subject which interrelated with other biological concepts, making it challenging to understand and may lead to cognitive overload. This paper analyzed the effects of prior knowledge activation using video on students' cognitive load when learning about the ecosystem. Data were obtained from prior knowledge tests, a task complexity worksheet, a subjective rating scale, and reasoning ability tests as learning achievement. The effect of prior knowledge activation using video on intrinsic cognitive load (ICL) and extraneous cognitive load (ECL) was evaluated and discussed.

The limited use of instructional design guidelines in healthcare simulation scenarios: an expert appraisal

BackgroundSystematic reviews on simulation training effectiveness have pointed to the need to adhere to evidence-based instructional design (ID) guidelines. ID guidelines derive from sound cognitive theories and aim to optimize complex learning (integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and learning transfer (application of acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace). The purpose of this study was to explore adherence to ID guidelines in simulation training programs for dealing with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a high-risk situation and the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide.MethodsA total of 40 raters analyzed simulation training programs as described in 32 articles. The articles were divided into four subsets of seven articles and one subset of four articles. Each subset was judged by seven to ten raters on adherence to ID guidelines. The 5-point Likert score rating scale was based on Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction and included items relating to key ID features categorized into five subscales: authenticity, activation of prior knowledge, demonstration, application, and integration/transfer. The authors searched for articles published in English between January 2007 and March 2017 in PubMed, Eric, and Google Scholar and calculated the mean Likert-scale score, per subscale, and interrater reliability (IRR).ResultsThe mean Likert-scale scores calculated for all subscales were < 3.00. For the number of raters used to judge the papers in this study (varying between 7 and 10), the IRR was found to be excellent for the authenticity and integration/transfer subscales, good-to-excellent for the activation of prior knowledge and application subscales, and fair-to-good for the demonstration subscale.ConclusionThe results demonstrate a paucity of the description of adherence to evidence-based ID guidelines in current simulation trainings for a high-risk situation such as PPH.

The Importance of Semantic Network Brain Regions in Integrating Prior Knowledge with an Ongoing Dialogue.

To understand a dialogue, we need to know the topics that are being discussed. This enables us to integrate our knowledge of what was said previously to interpret the current dialogue. This study involved a large-scale behavioral experiment conducted online and a separate fMRI experiment, both testing human participants. In both, we selectively manipulated knowledge about the narrative content of dialogues presented in short videos. The clips were scenes from situation comedies that were split into two parts. The speech in the part 1 clips could either be presented normally or spectrally rotated to render it unintelligible. The part 2 clips that concluded the scenes were always presented normally. The behavioral experiment showed that knowledge of the preceding narrative boosted memory for the part 2 clips as well as increased the intersubject semantic similarity of recalled descriptions of the dialogues. The fMRI experiment replicated the finding that prior knowledge improved memory for the conclusions of the dialogues. Furthermore, prior knowledge strengthened temporal intersubject correlations in brain regions including the left angular gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus. Together, these findings show that (1) prior knowledge constrains the interpretation of a dialogue to be more similar across individuals; and (2), consistent with this, the activation of brain regions involved in semantic control processing is also more similar between individuals who share the same prior knowledge. Processing in these regions likely supports the activation and integration of prior knowledge, which helps people to better understand and remember dialogues as they unfold.

Impact of big data resources on clinicians’ activation of prior medical knowledge

BackgroundActivating prior medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment is an important basis for clinicians to improve their care ability. However, it has not been systematically explained whether and how various big data resources affect the activation of prior knowledge in the big data environment faced by clinicians. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding on how the activation of prior knowledge of clinicians is affected by a wide range of shared and private big data resources, to reveal the impact of big data resources on clinical competence and professional development of clinicians. MethodThrough the comprehensive analysis of extant research results, big data resources are classified as big data itself, big data technology and big data services at the public and institutional levels. A survey was conducted on clinicians and IT personnel in Chinese hospitals. A total of 616 surveys are completed, involving 308 medical institutions. Each medical institution includes a clinician and an IT personnel. SmartPLS version 2.0 software package was used to test the direct impact of big data resources on the activation of prior knowledge. We further analyze their indirect impact of those big data resources without direct impact. Results(1) Big data quality environment at the institutional level and the big data sharing environment at the public level directly affect activation of prior medical knowledge; (2) Big data service environment at the institutional level directly affects activation of prior medical knowledge; (3) Big data deployment environment at the institutional level and big data service environment at the public level have no direct impact on activation of prior knowledge of clinicians, but they have an indirect impact through big data quality environment and service environment at the institutional level and the big data sharing environment at the public level. ConclusionsBig data technology, big data itself and big data service at the public level and institutional level interact and influence each other to activate prior medical knowledge. This study highlights the implications of big data resources on improvement of clinicians’ diagnosis and treatment ability.

Promoting peer assessment – learner to learner feedback in a multilingual high school english first additional language setting

Feedback, further known as assessment in this research, is critical to learners’ growth and learning. This study is grounded in verbal and written peer experiences, acquired throughout peer evaluation in a multilingual context. This study aims to determine the problems of Grade 11 EFAL learners with peer assessment and how to develop peer assessment practices in a multilingual setting in the Further Education and Training phase. There were 27 learners in the class. Designated three learners gave three demonstrations on various matters, premised on a requisite Grade 11 literature set book, and were graded by their classmates. The perspectives of the learners who were assigned to work in groups were elicited by requesting them to respond to open ended questions in writing after their classmates’ presentations. According to the findings, some peer assessments can be subjective depending on the bond between the assessor and the assessed. The learners had a natural feeling of inadequacy in their assessments. When giving feedback in a multilingual setting, it becomes important to give it in a language they are most comfortable with. Similarly, helping students relate new information from peers to the knowledge that they already have helps them to understand and organise information in meaningful ways. Thus, the learners are comfortable with feedback that addresses the known that is then linked to the unknown. This calls for prior knowledge activation by other learners or even the teacher because new information is better integrated with existing information.Once students are used to peer assessment and have overcome their initial fears and hesitations, reliability is likely to be quite high, not that different from teacher reliability

Las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre cómo la enseñanza basada en contenido apoya el desarrollo del aprendiz en un contexto de lengua extranjera

Ample studies on content-based instruction (CBI) provide strong evidence as to the effectiveness of this methodology in developing language and content knowledge in students; however, there is much less information as to why this methodology is so effective. Building on the results of a previous study, this paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study to see how CBIsupports language development. The data collected through student interviews and learning journals revealed that the exposure to authentic material that was meaningful, interesting, and relevant to students’ present and future needs, activation of prior knowledge, and the specific methodology used in class were the most important factors which supported language and content development.