The effects of activating prior knowledge before reading on students with and without learning disabilities

Abstract

Students with learning disabilities use prior knowledge differently than students without learning disabilities. This paper examines what happens to reading fluency, words per minute, and reading comprehension when prior knowledge is activated. By using two reading passages at the fourth grade level, students read one passage without prior knowledge activation and another with prior knowledge activation. The students were timed for words per minute. The reading errors were noted for fluency, and questions were asked to measure comprehension. While students’ individual scores both increased and decreased in all areas when prior knowledge was activated, students with learning disabilities did increase their reading comprehension on average.