Going beyond the lesson: Self-generating new factual knowledge in the classroom

• Authors: Alena Esposito, Emory University; Patricia Bauer, Emory University
• Journal Title: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
• Volume: Volume 153
• Publisher: Elsevier | 2017-01-01, Pages 110-125
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2016.09.003
• Subjects: Psychology, Developmental; Psychology, Cognitive
• Keywords: Academic performance; Elementary education; Integration; Knowledge extension; Learning; Self-generation; Achievement; Age Factors; Child; Child Development; Comprehension; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Mathematics; Reading; Schools; Thinking

Abstract

For children to build a knowledge base, they must integrate and extend knowledge acquired across separate episodes of new learning. Children's performance was assessed in a task requiring them to self-generate new factual knowledge from the integration of novel facts presented through separate lessons in the classroom. Whether self-generation performance predicted academic outcomes in reading comprehension and mathematics was also examined. The 278 participating children were in kindergarten through Grade 3 (mean age = 7.7 years, range = 5.5–10.3). Children self-generated new factual knowledge through integration in the classroom; age-related increases were observed. Self-generation performance predicted both reading comprehension and mathematics academic outcomes, even when controlling for caregiver education.