Activation Of Prior Knowledge Research Articles

Self-regulated learning: A key learning effect of feedback in a problem-based learning context

Background. Problem-based learning (PBL) has been adopted across many health professions training institutions. Small-group student tutorials are a major component of PBL. Facilitator feedback during a tutorial is a key activity to promote self-regulated learning. Objective. To explore ways in which students use feedback to promote self-regulated learning in a PBL environment. Methods. This was an exploratory qualitative study in which individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with health science students who had experience of the tutorial process. Data were collected through audio recording and writing of field notes. Thematic analysis was employed to generate the reported themes. Results. Students used feedback in various ways that can lead to self-regulated learning. Their experiences were summarised into three themes, i.e. activation of prior knowledge; reflection; and formulation of a personal learning plan. From the findings, a conceptual model linking feedback and selfregulated learning in a PBL context was developed. Conclusion. In this study, we propose a conceptual model illustrating how feedback is a major activity in the critical pathway that leads to self-regulated learning.

An Assessment of Teaching and Learning Practices: A Questionnaire Study for Dental Educators of Karnataka.

Aims and Objectives:Faculty members of dental institutions are being asked to assume new academic duties for which they have received no formal training. To succeed in new teaching tasks, faculty development through assessment of teaching skills is essential.Materials and Methods:A Self-Assessment Questionnaire consisting 18 closed-ended questions was sent to various faculty members of dental colleges of Karnataka. A total of 210 faculty members volunteered to participate in the study. The response rate was 69.8%. Data gathered were statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 16, Chi-square test, and descriptive statistics.Results:In the present study, 27.3% of participants were unaware of andragogy, 33.3% were unaware of teachers development programs, 44.6% do not obtain student feedback after teaching, 52.6% were unaware of peer review of teaching skills, and 50% were unaware of interprofessional education initiatives.Conclusion:By incorporating teaching and learning skills, dental faculty could acquire competencies and academic credentials to become valuable contributors to the institution. This study emphasizes the areas of improvement in dental school learning environment, based on activation of prior knowledge, elaboration of new learning, learning in context, transfer of learning, and organization of knowledge toward learning.

Embracing Your Inner “Guide on the Side”: Using Neuroscience to Shift the Focus from Teaching to Learning

This article explores the effect of incorporating the precepts of neuroscience in a social constructivist theory of learning on student performance in an introductory course in marketing. The authors delivered the pilot class in a flipped format because it facilitates including the neuroscience considerations of dual coding, working memory, activation of prior knowledge, and practice into the course design. The data indicate that those in the pilot class significantly outperformed those in the traditional 3-hr lecture format class on the comprehensive final examination. The authors conclude that it is paying attention to neuroscience in the design of the pilot course that contributes to the successful performance of the students.

Prior Knowledge Activation through Brainstorming to Enhance Malaysian EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

<p class="1">Reading<em> </em>comprehension<em> </em>is a<em> </em>flexible and ongoing cognitive and constructive<em> </em>process. There are different pre-reading methods that can influence positively on EFL learners’ reading comprehension. Thus, this research investigated the impact of brainstorming as a pre-reading strategy on reading comprehension ability of Malaysian EFL learners. The study used an experimental design with fifty students who were between 12 to 18 years of age at intermediate level were considered homogenized. In order to have homogenized participants a language proficiency test was run. It was given to 70 students at Asian EFL Academy Language Institute in Pinang, Malaysia. The results of the proficiency test confirmed the homogeneity of the participants regarding their reading comprehension ability. Then, the researcher divided the students into two groups, control and experimental. An immediate- delayed test was administered to both groups before and after the implementation of the proposed technique on the experimental group. Experimental group received treatment for a given period of the time. At the end of the specified period of treatment both groups received a delayed test. None of the groups had any previous experience in brainstorming strategies. An immediate test was covered having 10 reading comprehension questions carrying out every two session at the end of each reading comprehension lesson. The last session was devoted to conduct the delayed tests including 50 questions at the end of treatment. The participants in the experimental group were instructed how to use brainstorming strategies before reading passages in 10 sessions for 20 minutes at Asian EFL Academy Language institute in Pinang, Malaysia. A statistical comparison of the results indicated that brainstorming strategies have a positive significant effect on reading comprehension ability of the participants. </p>

Problem-based Learning and Theories of Teaching and Learning in Health Professional Education

Although problem-based learning (PBL) has been linked to several theories of teaching and learning, how these theories are applied remains unclear. The objective of this paper is to explore how theories of teaching and learning relate to and can inform problem-based learning within health professional education programs. We conducted a scoping review on current theories of teaching and learning and considered their relevancy to the problem-based learning approach. The findings suggest that no single theory of teaching and learning can fully represent the complexity of learning in PBL. Recognizing the complexity of the PBL environment and the fluidity between theories of teaching and learning, we proposed eight principles from across 11 theories of teaching and learning that can inform how PBL is operationalised in university-based health professional education: 1) Adult learners are independent and self-directed; 2) Adult learners are goal oriented and internally motivated; 3) Learning is most effective when it is applicable to practice; 4) Cognitive processes support learning; 5) Learning is active and requires active engagement; 6) Interaction between learners supports learning; 7) Activation of prior knowledge and experience supports learning; and 8) Elaboration and reflection supports learning. These eight principles provide the foundation for curriculum design recommendations relevant to PBL within university-based education programs. Specifically, our findings suggest that active engagement and interactions should be encouraged, that students should be prompted to activate their prior knowledge and experiences, and that elaboration and reflection on learning is critical. The small group format of PBL can facilitate this engagement if students question each other, consider alternative perspectives, and are actively involved in setting learning objectives. Further research is needed to develop the empirical basis for these principles and examine if PBL is an effective approach for implementing these principles.

The Impact of Content-based Pre-reading Activities on Iranian High School EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

Most specialists in the field of foreign language reading consider reading as an interactive process between the text and the reader’s prior knowledge. Therefore, the activation of prior background knowledge for an effective comprehension is very important. It is generally agreed that the pre-reading phase is the stage where we can help this interaction and activation take place. There are different strategies and techniques which could be applied to make sure of this interaction and to achieve the final goal of reading, i.e. comprehension. In this study, we focus on the pre-reading phase and the impact of three pre-reading techniques (the brainstorming, the kwl (what I know, want to know, learned), and the pre-questioning techniques) on reading comprehension. 125 high school students, both boys and girls, studying pre-university in Tarom, Zanjan, participated in the study. They were assigned to four groups: one control group and three experimental groups for each of the three pre-reading techniques. The results of data analysis indicated that all the experimental groups that used the pre-reading techniques did significantly better in their comprehension than the control group which received no technique. Meanwhile, the KWL group exceeded the other two groups in their performance.

Designing and integrating purposeful learning in game play: a systematic review

Via a systematic review of the literature on learning games, this article presents a systematic discussion on the design of intrinsic integration of domain-specific learning in game mechanics and game world design. A total of 69 articles ultimately met the inclusion criteria and were coded for the literature synthesis. Exemplary learning games cited in the articles reviewed and developed by credible institutions were also analyzed. The cumulative findings and propositions of the game-based learning-play integration have been extracted and synthesized into five salient themes to clarify what, how, where, and when learning and content are embedded in and activated by gameplay. These themes highlight: (a) the types of game-based learning action—prior-knowledge activation and novel-knowledge acquisition, (b) the modes in which learning actions are integrated in game actions—representation, simulation, and contextualization, (c) the blended learning spaces contrived by game mechanics and the game world, (d) the occurrence of meta-reflective and iterative learning moments during game play, and (e) the multifaceted in-game learning support (or scaffolding). Future directions for the design and research of learning integration in digital games are then proposed.

Prior Knowledge Activation in Design and in Practice

Despite the importance of prior knowledge to learning, few studies have systematically addressed the extent to which or ways in which instructional resources support teachers in the activation of students' prior knowledge, or the extent to which teachers prompt students' prior knowledge activation in practice. In study one, a content analysis was applied to the language in four instructional resources to come to an understanding of the ways in which resources guide teachers to activate students' prior knowledge. In study two, we went beyond teacher resources to examine prior knowledge activation in four (two male, two female) public elementary teachers' reading classrooms. A two-step procedure was followed to analyze teachers' utterances, first discriminating language intended to activate students' prior knowledge ( n = 27) from other utterances ( n = 1,770), and then examining the 27 knowledge activation utterances and scoring them according to the frame of reference. The results suggest that instances of prior knowledge activation were rare during reading lessons, both with recommended statements and demonstrated actions. Additionally, the analysis found that instructional resources focused predominantly on world knowledge and personal experience, whereas the practitioners focused on knowledge from previously taught lessons.

When prior knowledge interferes, inhibitory control matters for learning: The case of numerical magnitude representations.

The present study tested the interference hypothesis—that learning and using more advanced representations and strategies requires the inhibition of prior, less advanced ones. Specifically, it examined the relation between inhibitory control and number line estimation performance. Experiment 1 compared the accuracy of adults’ (N = 53) estimates on 2 number line tasks, 1 with standard (power of 10) endpoints (0–1,000) and the other with nonstandard endpoints (364–1,364). Inhibition, as measured by Stroop task performance, predicted the accuracy of estimation on the nonstandard number line task, above and beyond estimation on the standard task. In Experiment 2, changes in kindergartners’ (N = 42) 0–100 number line estimation were elicited through randomized training conditions, which involved playing a numerical board game. Stroop task performance was related to the rate of improvement in estimation, controlling for pretest number line task performance. The results provide a potential explanation for the relation between inhibitory control and mathematics achievement: Individuals with better inhibitory control may be better able to suppress the activation of prior knowledge and may be less vulnerable to interference from such knowledge. Potential implications for instructional design are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Effects of learning content in context on knowledge acquisition and recall: a pretest-posttest control group design.

BackgroundIt is generally assumed that learning in context increases performance. This study investigates the relationship between the characteristics of a paper-patient context (relevance and familiarity), the mechanisms through which the cognitive dimension of context could improve learning (activation of prior knowledge, elaboration and increasing retrieval cues), and test performance.MethodsA total of 145 medical students completed a pretest of 40 questions, of which half were with a patient vignette. One week later, they studied musculoskeletal anatomy in the dissection room without a paper-patient context (control group) or with (ir)relevant-(un)familiar context (experimental groups), and completed a cognitive load scale. Following a short delay, the students completed a posttest.ResultsSurprisingly, our results show that students who studied in context did not perform better than students who studied without context. This finding may be explained by an interaction of the participants’ expertise level, the nature of anatomical knowledge and students’ approaches to learning. A relevant-familiar context only reduced the negative effect of learning the content in context. Our results suggest discouraging the introduction of an uncommon disease to illustrate a basic science concept. Higher self-perceived learning scores predict higher performance. Interestingly, students performed significantly better on the questions with context in both tests, possibly due to a ‘framing effect’.ConclusionsSince studies focusing on the physical and affective dimensions of context have also failed to find a positive influence of learning in a clinically relevant context, further research seems necessary to refine our theories around the role of context in learning.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-015-0416-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of different ways of introducing a reading task on intrinsic motivation and comprehension

This study compared the effects of two brief prereading instructional practices – hands‐on activities and prior knowledge activation – on sixth‐graders' intrinsic motivation for reading a text and reading comprehension. Both hands‐on activities and prior knowledge activation substantially improved reading comprehension relative to a control condition where students just read to answer questions and take a test about the text content. These effects did not depend on preexisting individual differences in basic reading skill, reading motivation or topic knowledge. Hands‐on activities and prior knowledge activation did not differentially affect reading comprehension, however, nor did either of them have any effect on intrinsic motivation to read the text. If used regularly in classrooms, brief prereading practices in the form of hands‐on activities or prior knowledge activation may result in knowledge gains that accumulate to build a solid conceptual basis for further, self‐regulated learning from text.

The effects of activating prior topic and metacognitive knowledge on text comprehension scores.

Research on prior knowledge activation has consistently shown that activating learners' prior knowledge has beneficial effects on learning. If learners activate their prior knowledge, this activated knowledge serves as a framework for establishing relationships between the knowledge they already possess and new information provided to them. Thus far, prior knowledge activation has dealt primarily with topic knowledge in specific domains. Students, however, likely also possess at least some metacognitive knowledge useful in those domains, which, when activated, should aid in the deployment of helpful strategies during reading. In this study, we investigated the effects of both prior topic knowledge activation (PTKA) and prior metacognitive knowledge activation (PMKA) on text comprehension scores. Eighty-eight students in primary education were randomly distributed amongst the conditions of the 2 × 2 (PTKA yes/no × PMKA yes/no) designed experiment. Results show that activating prior metacognitive knowledge had a beneficial effect on text comprehension, whereas activating prior topic knowledge, after correcting for the amount of prior knowledge, did not. Most studies deal with explicit instruction of metacognitive knowledge, but our results show that this may not be necessary, specifically in the case of students who already have some metacognitive knowledge. However, existing metacognitive knowledge needs to be activated in order for students to make better use of this knowledge.

Fostering reading comprehension of expository texts through the activation of readers’ prior knowledge and inference-making skills

The importance of being able to critically read expository texts cannot be overstated. It is, therefore, fundamental to identify evidence-based classroom practices that can help one with this. Among higher-order skills, prior knowledge and inferences are considered the most important predictors of reading comprehension. Unfortunately, however, few reading comprehension interventions specifically address the multidimensional nature of prior knowledge and inference-making skills. In this study, an intervention designed to activate prior knowledge during reading comprehension was used to test inference-making skills and metacognition. One hundred and sixty-six secondary schools students participated in the study. Both control and experimental groups had improved reading comprehension, however the intervention based on prior knowledge activation resulted in better reading comprehension, metacognitive and inference-making processes.

Practical Use of Review Question and Content Object as Advanced Organizer for Computer Programming Lessons

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of review question and content object as advanced organizer used for prior knowledge activation in an introductory computer programming. The students’ engagement when using the strategies was examined to reach the primary findings. Content object (CO) as the advanced organizer to activate prior knowledge used before a new programming concept was learnt. Review questions (RQ) on programming concepts and solutions were designed to encourage the paper–pen method. Findings have shown similar performance in post-test. The outcome of this study showed CO useful to foster better learning programming.

Significance of Prior Knowledge Activation: A Close Look at Bilingual Kindergarten Student's Response to a Poem

This manuscript examines a kindergarten bilingual (Spanish/English) student’s responses to a poem during a two-day writer’s workshop. A detailed description of the student’s illustrated initial response to the poem is compared with the student’s later response after the vocabulary embedded in the poem was discussed. The importance of considering students’ sociocultural backgrounds and activating their prior knowledge as essential parts of instruction is stressed.

The Role of Background Knowledge in Enhancing Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is attained through successful interaction between the reader and the text. This interaction isthe major factor that plays the most important role in comprehension. Accordingly, background knowledge will be ofprimary importance for EFL readers. So schema-based, pre-reading activities should be used for activating suchbackground knowledge. It is assumed that prior knowledge activation requires pre-reading activities. The presentstudy, aims at investigating the role of activating background knowledge in reading comprehension through textpreviewing. In this study a previewing strategy called THIEVES is used to verify this hypothesis. The researchershypothesize that if students preview a text before reading it, they are likely to understand its content better. In orderto investigate this, we conducted an experimental study using a t-test as a statistical measure of the data. We arrivedat the conclusion that previewing a text through THIEVES as a prior knowledge activator - facilitates bettercomprehension. We found a positive correlation between previewing a text through THIEVES as a pre-readingactivity (that aims to activate prior knowledge) and better reading comprehension.

Scaffolding of Instruction, Cooperative Training, Activation of Prior Knowledge as Predictors of Student Achievement in Literature Courses

The study was conducted and anchored on the concept Darling-Hammond (1999) that teachers who are using a wide repertoire of approaches skillfully (literature-based, lecture and small group work) are typically most successful to influence academic achievement. This study aimed to determine the significant relationship and influence of the utilization of literature-based instruction among teachers to the achievement of students in literature course. Descriptive correlation survey was used in this study. It focuses on the present condition with the purpose of finding new truth and it is valuable in providing facts on which specific judgments may be based. The study was conducted in the University of Mindanao to 400 student-respondents. Mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Linear Regression Analysis were the statistical tools used for the data analysis. The findings of the study are as follows: The level of performance of teacher in the utilization of literature-based instruction was high while the level of achievement of students in literature course was moderate.The study concluded that the performance of teachers on the utilization of literature–based instruction influenced or predicted the achievement of students in literature course.Keywords: Literature-based Instruction, Academic Achievement, Teachers in the University of Mindanao, and Module in Philippine Literature

Thresholds of knowledge development in complex problem solving: a multiple-case study of advanced learners’ cognitive processes

This multiple-case study examined how advanced learners solved a complex problem, focusing on how their frequency and application of cognitive processes contributed to differences in performance outcomes, and developing a mental model of a problem. Fifteen graduate students with backgrounds related to the problem context participated in the study. Data sources included direct observation of solution operations, participants’ think aloud and stimulated recalls as they solved the problem, as well as solution scores indicating how well each participant solved the problem. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze stimulated recall and think aloud data. A set of thirteen cognitive processes emerged in the coding and were tallied for each participant. Individual cases were then grouped into clusters that shared similar frequencies of prior knowledge activation, performance outcomes, and tool use behaviors. Each cluster was profiled from least to most successful with descriptive accounts of each cluster’s approach to solving the problem. A cross cluster analysis indicated how learners’ cognitive processes corresponded with problem solving operations that revealed thresholds of knowledge development and formed an integrated mental model of the problem. The findings suggested that mastering problem solving operations within each threshold enhanced the learners’ conceptual awareness of where to apply cognitive processes and increased the combinations of cognitive processes they activated at higher thresholds of knowledge development. The findings have implications for anticipating where novices need support within each threshold of knowledge development during complex problem solving.

Comprehension Strategy Instruction During Parent–Child Shared Reading: An Intervention Study

This study examined the effectiveness of a series of workshops and at-home activities designed to teach parents to integrate comprehension strategy instruction into read-alouds with their pre-kindergarten-aged children. Twenty parent–child dyads were randomly assigned to condition and parents in the experimental (workshop) condition were taught to engage their children in retelling, recognition, and use of story structure elements, activation and use of prior knowledge, and talking about text. Results revealed significant changes in interaction patterns between parents and children in the experimental group reflecting the strategies, as well as significant effects on children's comprehension. Findings indicate that children are capable of strategically comprehending text well before they are reading connected text independently and that a low-intensity intervention with parents can facilitate the process.

Gênero charge: construção de significados a partir de uma perspectiva interdisciplinar e dinâmica

O presente trabalho discute e analisa o processo interpretativo do gênero charge, levando em consideração o seu papel no contexto ensino-aprendizagem. Para tanto, a discussão é pautada na abordagem sociointeracionista da linguagem, para a qual o texto deve ser visto como uma atividade interacional, criativa e social. Partindo-se desse ponto de vista, interpretar um texto torna-se uma tarefa complexa, que requer estratégias cognitivas e metacognitivas. Para efeito de sondagem, selecionamos a Charge “Eleição para Papa”, de autoria de Alberto Benett (2013). Ao longo do texto, mostraremos que, no caso de charges, um dos requisitos fundamentais é o estabelecimento da intertextualidade, mormente com o envolvimento de outros textos jornalísticos. Observamos ainda que, em tal circunstância, sem o devido acionamento de conhecimentos prévios (conhecimentos de mundo e linguístico, por exemplo), a interpretação realizada pelo leitor tende a falhar. Por se tratar de um gênero composto pela mistura de linguagem verbal com a não verbal (pictórica), a charge tem sido considerada um material muito rico para ser trabalhado com alunos em salas de aulas. A interpretação desse gênero textual requer, muitas vezes, conhecimentos que envolvem não só a política e a religião, mas também fatos históricos, geográficos, artísticos e de linguagem. O caráter humorístico, informativo e opinativo das charges, bem como a ampla circulação social que assumem, fazem da charge um instrumento importante para a formação de alunos críticos e reflexivos, atributos cada vez mais solicitados pela sociedade.