A critical review was conducted to determine the influence background knowledge has on
the reading comprehension of primary school-aged children. We identified twenty-three …

Conceptual change researchers have made significant progress on two prominent but
competing theoretical perspectives regarding knowledge structure coherence. These …

Prior knowledge is one of the strongest contributors to comprehension, but there is little
specificity about different aspects of prior knowledge and how they impact comprehension …

This article provides a synthesis and overview of a theory of cognitive development, rational
constructivism. The basic tenets of this view are as follows:(a) Initial state: Human infants …

There have been a number of research programs that have investigated students' thinking
and beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing, including definitions of knowledge …

A theoretical framework is outlined in this article that attempts to explain the nature of
conceptual change that takes place in the learning of physical science. It is argued that a …

Early in 2005, Phil Harris, Executive Director of the Association of Educational
Communications and Technology, approached Mike Spector and asked if he would like to …

Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments provides students, faculty, and
instructional designers with a clear, concise introduction to the major pedagogical and …

Learning of complex material, such as concepts encountered in science classrooms, can
occur under at least three different conditions of prior knowledge. First, a student may have …

When students learn scientific theories that conflict with their earlier, naïve theories, what
happens to the earlier theories? Are they overwritten or merely suppressed? We …