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First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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University of Pretoria
2013
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| _version_ | 1867613468725608448 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Hattingh, Annemarie |
| author_browse | Hattingh, Annemarie |
| author_facet | Hattingh, Annemarie |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © University of Pretoria 2008 D491/ |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28770 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:37.921Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publishDateRange | 2013 |
| publishDateSort | 2013 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28770 First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases Hattingh, Annemarie sedumeditdt@tut.ac.za Sedumedi, Thomas Dipogiso Tshipa Accessing knowledge Knowledge restructuring Incomplete knowledge Quality of knowledge Generate meaning Knowledge construction Inhibiting effects Prior knowledge Error prevention Types of knowledge UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. Science has been perceived as difficult to learn because of its nature and the methods by which it is usually taught. Most first-year science students entering higher education in South Africa today come from disadvantaged teaching and learning backgrounds. These students bring different “knowledge, skills or abilities” into the learning process. This knowledge, referred to as prior knowledge – or what the student already knows – is the single most important factor influencing learning (Ausubel, 1968). It is on the basis of this influence of prior knowledge on learning that the focus in this study is on understanding its manifestation in learning. Prior knowledge has both facilitating and inhibiting effects in learning. However, the focus in this study was only on inhibiting effects of prior knowledge on learning. To better understand prior knowledge qualitative methods (interview, observation, document review and the prior knowledge state test) were used. The aim was to specifically establish how students used their understanding of selected acid-base concepts and processes to construct understanding and to generate meaning of new concepts and/or knowledge. The study managed to highlight important aspects of the quality of prior knowledge and their manifestation in learning. The findings generally indicated that: <ul> <li>The quality of the knowledge that students possessed was in most instances incomplete. That is, in their description of concepts, students preferred to use summary and informal descriptions without understanding the meaning of the concepts they were describing.</li> <li> The quality of knowledge (e.g. incomplete knowledge) affected their ability to construct understanding and/or generate meaning as this knowledge was insufficient to access for the construction of scientifically valid meanings of concepts.</li> <li>The quality of students’ knowledge impeded their ability to reflect and/or to be aware of the knowledge they possessed. This made it difficult for students to access knowledge and to restructure it in order to construct new knowledge or prevent errors in their learning.</li> </ul> The study culminated in the development of a framework that may in future be used to assess prior knowledge and enhance meaningful teaching and learning based on the quality of students’ prior knowledge. Curriculum Studies unrestricted 2013-09-07T14:12:47Z 2008-10-28 2013-09-07T14:12:47Z 2008-09-03 2008-10-28 2008-10-17 Thesis a 2008 D491/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28770 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10172008-170856/ © University of Pretoria 2008 D491/ application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Accessing knowledge Knowledge restructuring Incomplete knowledge Quality of knowledge Generate meaning Knowledge construction Inhibiting effects Prior knowledge Error prevention Types of knowledge UCTD First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title | First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title_full | First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title_fullStr | First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title_full_unstemmed | First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title_short | First-year students' use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| title_sort | first year students use of prior knowledge in the learning of acids and bases |
| topic | Accessing knowledge Knowledge restructuring Incomplete knowledge Quality of knowledge Generate meaning Knowledge construction Inhibiting effects Prior knowledge Error prevention Types of knowledge UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28770 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10172008-170856/ |