The effect of subsuming concepts on student achievement on unfamiliar science learning material

Abstract

Students enrolled in an undergraduate chemistry class were rank ordered by their performance on a test of organizing ability. The median break was used to form two groups: good organizers (GO) and poor organizers (PO). Students within these groups were randomly assigned to treatments. Treatment I subjects received an advance organizer followed by a learning passage. Treatment II subjects received the same organizer preceeded by the learning passage. Treatment in subjects received an historical nonorganizer and the learning passage. No significant differences were observed on treatment or interaction, but GO group achieved significantly higher learning passage scores than PO group.

Specifying the nature of reading ability differences and advance organizer effects.

“…Results supporting the superiority of the advance organizer group have been reported for target passages concerning a wide range of topics (Allen, 1969;Anderson, 1973;Ausubel & Fitzgerald, 1961;Fitzgerald & Ausubel, 1963;Grotelueschen & Sjogren, 1968). However, a number of investigators using very similar paradigms have found no difference between groups (Clawson & Barnes, 1973;Graber, Means, & Johnsten, 1972;Jerrolds, 1967). The nature of the interaction of individual intellectual ability and organizer effects is similarly unclear.…”

Twenty years of research on advance organizers: Assimilation theory is still the best predictor of results

“…Another problem with this study is that in-class interaction during the study could have provided the needed subsuming ideas and thus washed out the effects of organizers. Graber et al (1972) also failed to report means so that it is not possible to make a comparison of raw scores for the AO and PO groups. However, these authors point out that this replication of Ausubel's (1960) original study may have failed to produce significant results because Ausubel used subjects who were No means (Note: Organizers not really subsumers) Bertou et al (1972), 176 9th graders 1.…”

Transfer of Training: An Interpretive Review

“…Negative findings concerning the usefulness of advance organizers have also been reported (e.g., Graber, Means, & Johnston, 1972). This is not * particularly surprising given the canplexity of the relation between schemata which are essentially as novel to the subject at the time of their presentation as the target material itself.…”