Return to References: Background Knowledge factor page.
Numerous measures exist to gain a full picture of a student's learning strengths and challenges. Following are examples of measures used to assess this Learner Factor. These measures should be administered and interpreted by experienced professionals.
Woodcock Johnson IV: (Shranck et al., 2018): This test contains multiple batteries to assess knowledge along different domains, including science, social studies, humanities, and academic knowledge.
Beier, M.E. & Ackerman, P.L. (2005). Age, ability, and the role of prior knowledge on the acquisition of new domain knowledge: Promising results in a real-world learning environment. Psychology and Aging, 20(2), 341–355.
Bein, O., Reggev, N., & Maril, A. (2014). Prior knowledge influences on hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex interactions in subsequent memory. Neuropsychologia, 64, 320-330.
Bigelow, M., & Schwarz, R. L. (2010). Adult English language learners with limited literacy. National Institute for Literacy. Washington, DC.
Caratelli, M., & Ricci, O. (2011). The relationship between everyday practices and financial literacy: An empirical analysis. ASBBS Proceedings, 19(1), 115.
Carrell, P. L. (1983). Three components of background knowledge in reading comprehension 1. Language Learning, 33(2), 183-203.
Charness, N. (2000). Can acquired knowledge compensate for age-related declines in cognitive efficiency? In S. H. Qualls & N. Abeles (Eds.), Psychology and the aging revolution: How we adapt to longer life (pp. 99–117). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Eckhardt, B. B., Wood, M. R., & Jacobvitz, R. S. (1991). Verbal ability and prior knowledge: Contributions to adults' comprehension of television. Communication Research, 18(5), 636-649.
Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Chajut, E. (2009). Changes over time in digital literacy. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 713-715.
Fitzsimmons, C. J., Thompson, C. A., & Sidney, P. G. (2019). Confident or familiar? The role of familiarity ratings in adults' confidence judgments when estimating fraction magnitudes. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Psychology of Mathematics Education-North America Conference.
Grotelueschen, A. D. (1979). Introductory material structure and prior knowledge effects on adult learning. Adult Education, 29(2), 75-82.
Hambrick, D. Z., & Engle, R. W. (2002). Effects of domain knowledge, working memory capacity, and age on cognitive performance: An investigation of the knowledge-is-power hypothesis. Cognitive Psychology, 44(4), 339-387.
Robertson, L., Taczak, K., & Yancey, K. B. (2012). Notes toward a Theory of Prior Knowledge and Its Role in College Composers' Transfer of Knowledge and Practice. In Composition Forum (Vol. 26). Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition.
Schrank, F. A., & Wendling, B. J. (2018). The Woodcock–Johnson IV. In Flanagan, D.P. & McDonough, E.M. (Eds.) Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues (pp. 383-451). New York: Guilford Press.
Stanovich, K. E., & Cunningham, A. E. (1993). Where does knowledge come from? Specific associations between print exposure and information acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2), 211-229.
Talwar, A., L. Tighe, E., & Greenberg, D. (2018). Augmenting the simple view of reading for struggling adult readers: A unique role for background knowledge. Scientific Studies of Reading, 22(5), 351-366.
Tsai, K. C. (2012). The Value of Teaching Creativity in Adult Education. International Journal of Higher Education, 1(2), 84–91.
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Zeiders, K. H., & Updegraff, K. A. (2013). Family ethnic socialization and ethnic identity: A family-driven, youth-driven, or reciprocal process?. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(1), 137.