ERIC Number: EJ1140267
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1356-2517
EISSN: N/A
Deepening Understanding of Prior Knowledge: What Diverse First-Generation College Students in the U.S. Can Teach Us
Castillo-Montoya, Milagros
Teaching in Higher Education, v22 n5 p587-603 2017
Educational research indicates that teachers revealing and utilizing students' prior knowledge supports students' academic learning. Yet, the variation in students' prior knowledge is not fully known. To better understand students' prior knowledge, I drew on sociocultural learning theories to examine racially and ethnically diverse college students' sociopolitical prior knowledge, a component of sociopolitical consciousness. In this qualitative study, I interviewed 18 first-generation college students in the U.S. who were enrolled in two introductory undergraduate sociology courses. Study participants identified as African-American, Latino, and/or White. The study reveals that students' sociopolitical prior knowledge is comprised of awareness and understanding and it varies by topic of discussion. Further, college students' sociopolitical prior knowledge is informed by lived experiences and can relate to subject-matter content. Implications for teaching and learning include having a deepened sense of novice learners' modes of thinking.
Descriptors: Prior Learning, First Generation College Students, Student Diversity, Educational Research, Qualitative Research, Introductory Courses, Sociology, Novices, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, White Students, Observation, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A