Activation of prior knowledge: Facilitating the relevance of new instruction and increasing learner motivation

This study examines the instructional strategy of activation and the role activation, relevance and motivation play in facilitating learning. This study strives to answer six general questions: (1) What is the relationship between learning and memory activation? (2) What are the learning differences between groups with and without prior experience with the instructional topic? (3) What are the differences among activation groups with and without memory activation and prior knowledge with the instructional topic? (4) What are the learning differences between groups with varying perceptions of topic relevance and varying levels of motivation? (5) Is there a difference in perceptions of motivation, perceptions of relevance and learning when memory is activated? (6) What is the relationship between learning and previous experience with content, activation of memory trace, relevance and motivation?; This study combines the instructional tenets of motivation with the psychological tenets of cognition and seeks to justify the strength of activating previous knowledge. The subjects of the study were graduate students attending Instructional Technology classes at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. They were divided into two topic groups and given a short instructional unit of either a relevant topic (APA guidelines) or an irrelevant content (migration patterns of moose). Some subjects received an additional instructional strategy to activate prior knowledge. Data were gathered on learning, perceptions of motivation, perceptions of relevance, metacognitive variables.; Results support the use of an activation strategy to incorporate new information into prior knowledge and to promote learning. A conceptual model illustrating the relationships between variable of previous experience, activation of prior knowledge, metacognitive variables, perceptions of relevance and perceptions of motivation is also included.