Research and practice recommendations: activate knowledge during and after reading, study narrative texts and younger learners, and clarify definitions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (2 for, 3 mixed) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Based on its findings, the review forwards recommendations for future inquiry, "including suggested definitions of prior knowledge and prior knowledge activation." It argues the Construction-Integration Model implies the importance of "also scaffolding students' knowledge activation during or after reading," calls narrative-text processing an under-researched area, notes a dearth of research on activation techniques for younger students, and calls for more research on shared versus individual knowledge activation and on students with limited, ill-matched, or inaccurate knowledge.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Activation techniques should be clearly delineated and mapped onto the knowledge activation process being investigated

Constraints¶

• Current evidence base is concentrated on pre-reading activation, expository texts, lab settings, and undergraduate participants

Target Learners¶

• K-16 students, especially younger and less skilled readers and those with limited relevant knowledge

Target Learning Goals¶

• Text comprehension and knowledge integration from reading

Claims¶

• Across 88 investigated techniques, prior knowledge activation showed positive comprehension outcomes in 51 instances, negative in 15, neutral in 8, and mixed in 8 [+W]
• The relevance and level of students' knowledge moderates activation effectiveness: mobilizing irrelevant information impaired comprehension, while open-ended mobilization benefited students with lower topic knowledge more [~W]
• Misconceptions were addressed in nine reviewed articles, all in science, via augmented activation, refutation texts, or analogical reasoning, though one study found activating inaccurate information may not be detrimental [~W]
• The effectiveness of open-ended prompts varies by grade level and collaboration, with individual written prompts not supporting fifth and sixth grade comprehension but peer discussion and older students' use showing positive outcomes [~W]
• Procedural and strategic supports during reading tended to positively affect comprehension compared to no-treatment controls, with exceptions when compared against mobilization [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Future AI-SRL research should broaden search strategies, include educators and younger learners, address motivation, and apply longitudinal designs
• Use statistical and conceptual procedures to distinguish sibling constructs and compare sibling theories' predictions

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Courtney Hattan, Patricia A. Alexander, and Sarah M. Lupo. (2023). Leveraging What Students Know to Make Sense of Texts: What the Research Says About Prior Knowledge Activation. Review of Educational Research. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Leveraging+What+Students+Know+to+Make+Sense+of+Texts+Prior+Knowledge+Activation