Reading Habits, Language Learning Achievements and Principles for Deep Knowledge

Abstract

This paper intends to understand how the nine principles for deep knowledge (PDK) affect reading habits and language achievements by conducting a small-scale, experimental and statistical study. All 32 students participating in this study exhibit significant traits of PDK. The results suggest that inner-connection principle significantly correlates with academic performances. Deep-and-down and alternating principles significantly correlate with reading habits. Meanwhile, inner-connection principle effectively predicts academic performances and deep-and-low principle effectively forecasts reading habits. The mediating effect of PDK on language achievement is not statistically significant, possibly due to sample size, but nonetheless relevant and valuable to the prediction of reading habits. The development of reading habits for English-language materials takes a long time and good reading habits absolutely have profound impacts on the effectiveness of language learning. The integration of PDK characteristics into the establishment of reading habits can help build good habits in a more effective manner.

Principles for Deep Knowledge and its Relationships with Integrative Orientation, Motivational Intensity and English Learning Achievement

“…These principles should be considered learning features to develop one's own awareness of one's own weaknesses and strength to improve learning effectiveness. Chiang [24], while investigating the possible influence of deep knowledge between the reading habit and learning achievements, has not shown a direct significant mediating effect of the Principles for Deep Knowledge on reading habit, which is possibly due to a small sample size (32 randomly selected participants). However, the result of stepwise multiple regression analysis shows that at least one principle, the inner-connection, principle has significant predictive power over learning achievements (R 2 = .23, β = -.51, p< .05).…”

“…In the literature of HD, the 'Principles for Deep Knowledge (PDK)' have been identified as an effective way to expand an individual's HD, which means to change or foster one's habit [16]. The nine Principles for Deep Knowledge are defined [16,[21][22][23] and elaborated in relation to language learning as follows [20,24]. Chiang [19][20]24] has further discussions on the relationship between the Principles for Deep Knowledge and language learning.…”

“…Additionally, wanting to do something is different from doing it. Learners often have high motivation in learning but spend fewer hours learning is another example of this principle [19,24].…”

“…In the process of investigating why some learners outperform others, all things being equal, Chiang [24,26] indicated that students with strong learning outcomes exhibit these nine deep knowledge principles, evidencing a close relationship between learning achievement and the Principles for Deep Knowledge through questionnaire survey. In theory, the expansion of habitual domains helps us to change our choices.…”

“…The above studies [1,24,26] suggested the importance of exploring to what extent PDK as learning features can influence whether directly or indirectly a criterion variable, in this case language learning, while in Lin, Huang and Hsiung's [1] is learning effectiveness. After all, PDK is a comparatively newly but well developed theory.…”