How Including Prior Knowledge As a Subject Variable May Change Outcomes of Learning Research

Abstract

Prior knowledge has a marked effect on learning outcomes. Researchers typically rely on a number of methodologies to control for that factor in learning research, including the use of fictional stimuli and domain-novice subjects. The experiments reported here demonstrate that such methodological controls may be insufficient. In Experiment 1, students read texts about fictional places and events. In Experiment 2, novice students in a cognition course were asked to read several advanced texts. In both experiments, prior knowledge accounted for a large portion of the subjects' posttest performance. The data demonstrate that methodological approaches intended to control for prior knowledge may be insufficient to prevent that variable from influencing learning outcomes. Thus researchers are urged to include measures of prior knowledge in their analyses.

Can the use of cognitive and metacognitive self-regulated learning strategies be predicted by learners’ levels of prior knowledge in hypermedia-learning environments?

“…Since the content was fictional, topic knowledge was accounted for because participants could not rely on their previous knowledge of that specific topic; they could only rely on their previous knowledge of the domain. These experiments were thus testing for participants' prior domain knowledge and its impact on learning (Shapiro, 2004). Results demonstrated that domain knowledge significantly contributed to learning more than any other variable, which additionally demonstrates that fictional text cannot eliminate the effect of prior domain knowledge on learning (Shapiro, 2004).…”

“…These experiments were thus testing for participants' prior domain knowledge and its impact on learning (Shapiro, 2004). Results demonstrated that domain knowledge significantly contributed to learning more than any other variable, which additionally demonstrates that fictional text cannot eliminate the effect of prior domain knowledge on learning (Shapiro, 2004). In her second experiment, Shapiro tested novices to prove that novices have high topic knowledge.…”

“…Shapiro (2004) conducted two experiments based on previous research from Voss & Silfies (1996), which demonstrated that when students were presented with fictional text the authors created, students with high prior knowledge relied on accurate information they had previously known regarding the subject. Shapiro's first experiment tested whether domain knowledge played an important role in learning, even when the text is fictional (Shapiro, 2004). Since the content was fictional, topic knowledge was accounted for because participants could not rely on their previous knowledge of that specific topic; they could only rely on their previous knowledge of the domain.…”

“…Prior knowledge of the domain can greatly affect how students engage in different SRL processes and use learning strategies (Shapiro, 2004;Moos & Azevedo, 2008); and so when we are creating these environments, it is important to consider how students' prior knowledge of the domain can potentially influence the SRL skills (e.g., planning and monitoring) and strategies, which can be metacognitive or cognitive (e.g., content evaluation and note-taking) that they use. For this study, we acknowledged past findings regarding the importance of prior knowledge, and thus assessed how prior knowledge of the circulatory system influenced how students used cognitive and metacognitive SRL strategies as they learned with MetaTutor, a multi-agent, adaptive hypermedia-learning environment (Azevedo et al, , 2011.…”

Training self-assessment and task-selection skills: A cognitive approach to improving self-regulated learning

“…Azevedo, Guthrie, & Seibert, 2004;Moos & Azevedo, 2008a;Shapiro, 2004). Learners should ideally select tasks that are challenging, but not too difficult (cf.…”