al., 2001). These findings reinforce the idea that integrating new information with prior knowledge is a valuable learning strategy and suggests that a computer-assisted approach can be as successful as a teacher-directed one. Prior knowledge activation through interpretation of related pictures et al., (1986) describe a unique approach that combines building and activating prior knowledge. The approach entails training students to interpret topic-related pictures (Croll, et al., 1986). Two students trained in this strategy significantly improved reading comprehension for both pictures and text. The author suggest this to be an effective approach, but the limited sample of two students and lack of a control group make any such claims tentative and preliminary at best. Moreover, there has been no subsequent research to help validate these findings. Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Strategies to Activate Prior Knowledge level Students across a wide range of grade levels, spanning first to tenth grade, are represented in the studies we have discussed, although most studies sampled students toward the middle of this range, in grades five and six. Looking across these studies there is no apparent relationship between study outcome and the grade level sampled. On the contrary, our review suggests that prior knowledge activation strategies can be effective with K–8 students. Student characteristics Students to a text different levels of topic area familiarity, and this is understandably a factor of interest when investigating the effectiveness of prior knowledge activation strategies. Two studies investigated the possibility that students’ level of familiarity with the topic matter might influence the effectiveness of prior knowledge activation strategies. Carr et al. (1996) discovered a different pattern of results depending on the familiarity of the text topic to the student participants. When reading unfamiliar passages, students that were asked to state their prior knowledge on the text topic significantly outperformed students who were not asked to state prior knowledge. However, when reading familiar passages, only a subset of the student population, students without disabilities, benefited from prior knowledge activation. Similarly Schmidt et al. (1987) found that novices and experts on passage subject matter responded differently to a prior knowledge activation strategy. Novices demonstrated better performance after having taken part in interactive prior knowledge
al., 2001). These findings reinforce the idea that integrating new information with prior knowledge is a valuable learning strategy and suggests that a computer-assisted approach can be as successful as a teacher-directed one. Prior knowledge activation through interpretation of pictures et al., (1986) describe a unique approach that combines building and activating prior knowledge. The approach entails training students to interpret topic-related pictures (Croll, et al., 1986). Two students trained in this strategy significantly improved reading comprehension for both pictures and text. The author suggest this to be an effective approach, but the limited sample of two students and lack of a control group make any such claims tentative and preliminary at best. Moreover, there has been no subsequent research to help validate these findings. Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Strategies to Activate Prior Knowledge level Students across a wide range of grade levels, spanning first to tenth grade, are represented in the studies we have discussed, although most studies sampled students toward the middle of this range, in grades five and six. Looking across these studies there is no apparent relationship between study outcome and the grade level sampled. On the contrary, our review suggests that prior knowledge activation strategies can be effective with K–8 students. Student characteristics Students to a text different levels of topic area familiarity, and this is understandably a factor of interest when investigating the effectiveness of prior knowledge activation strategies. Two studies investigated the possibility that students’ level of familiarity with the topic matter might influence the effectiveness of prior knowledge activation strategies. Carr et al. (1996) discovered a different pattern of results depending on the familiarity of the text topic to the student participants. When reading unfamiliar passages, students that were asked to state their prior knowledge on the text topic significantly outperformed students who were not asked to state prior knowledge. However, when reading familiar passages, only a subset of the student population, students without disabilities, benefited from prior knowledge activation. Similarly Schmidt et al. (1987) found that novices and experts on passage subject matter responded differently to a prior knowledge activation strategy. Novices demonstrated better performance after having taken part in interactive prior knowledge related
ncac-background-knowledge-udl-2009-11.docx