Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory and Text Comprehension

Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Learning

Educational psychologist David Ausubel emphasizes that learning involves the active restructuring of perceptions, ideas, concepts, and schemas within a learner's cognitive structure. He views the student as an active processor of information, asserting that learning is a systematic and complex phenomenon that cannot be reduced to simple rote associations.

While acknowledging the importance of discovering new facts, concepts, inferring relationships, and creating original products, Ausubel suggests that student learning significantly depends on their prior cognitive structure and how it relates to new information. The cognitive structure encompasses the entirety of concepts and ideas held by an individual in a particular field of knowledge.

Key Principles of Meaningful Learning

Ausubel (1983) states that learning is meaningful when the content is related non-arbitrarily and substantively to what the student already knows. This means that new ideas must connect to a specific, relevant aspect of the student's existing cognitive structure.

In contrast, mechanical learning occurs when new information is stored arbitrarily, without interacting with pre-existing knowledge. An example of this is learning simple physics formulas in a literal and arbitrary manner without prior understanding.

Types of Meaningful Learning

• Representation: Assigning meaning to symbols.
• Concepts: Acquiring the definition of a concept through education and assimilation.
• Proposition: Capturing the meaning of ideas expressed in propositional form.

Text Comprehension and Structure

Understanding Text as a Unit

A text is a communication unit that deals with the characteristics required of a unitary whole. Its ideas should be presented neatly and organized. From a grammatical perspective, it should be cohesive. A text is organized into smaller units called paragraphs.

Paragraph Structure

Paragraphs are units of meaning that develop comprehensive ideas, distinct from other paragraphs. They are also visual units, separated from each other.

Elements of a Paragraph

• Main Idea: Contains the essence of the message and guides the supporting details.

Constructing Effective Paragraphs

• Organize ideas before writing.
• Omit unimportant details.
• Use only relevant information.
• Avoid repetition by using synonyms.

Schema: Organizing Content

A schema is the organization of a work's content into parts, visually clarifying the relationships established within the work. Each part of a schema is marked with numbers and letters. Key features of a schema include its graphics, proportionality, and disposition. Ensure that parts do not have too many sub-parts, maintaining visual clarity and capturing the objective of the schema.

Types of Schema

• Generalized System:
  • Alphanumeric: A-, A-1, A-1a
  • Numeric: 1-, 1.1-, 2.1-

Summary: Synthesizing Information

A summary is a synthesis, a brief restatement of the main ideas, discarding all the details. A summary can be simple or logical.

Simple Summary vs. Logical Summary

A simple summary follows the order of ideas in the text. A logical summary involves compression, reasoning ability, and creative skills. The length of a summary depends on the specific requirements of each situation.

Steps for Developing a Logical Summary

1. Read and understand the text you wish to summarize.
2. Separate the essential information from the unimportant or disposable.
3. Order the main ideas, assigning a different symbol to each (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd).
4. Write the summary, ensuring logical order, textual accuracy, and fidelity to the author's thinking, using your own words (paraphrasing).