Skip to main content

Abstract

Classroom or subject-matter learning is primarily concerned with the acquisition, retention, and use of large bodies of meaningful information such as facts, propositions, principles, and vocabulary in the various disciplines. It is important, therefore, that we make very explicit at the outset what we mean by meaning and meaningful learning. The concept of knowledge itself may refer either to the sum total of all organized subject matter and content possessed by an individual in a given field of inquiry or merely to the relative position and specific relationships of particular component elements in the hierarchical structure of the discipline as a whole.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Alberts, C. A., & Ehrenfreund, D. Transposition in children as a function of age.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ausubel, D. P. Educational psychology: A cognitive view. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, W. Psychological principles of language learning and the bilingual reading method. Modern Language Journal, 1951, 35, 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bjorgen, I. A. Are-evaluation of rote learning. Oslo: Oslo University Press, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bower, G. Human memory: Basic processes. New York: Academic Press, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brozova, V. Effect of organized learning on text understanding and perceiving. Studia Psychologica, 1995, 37: 259–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, J. B. The analysis of reading instruction: Perspectives from psychology and linguistics. In Theories of learning and instruction. 63rd Yearbook, Nat’l. Soc. Stud. Educ., Part I. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. A. Language and mind. New York: Harcourt, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. A. Syntactic structures. The Hague: Mouton, 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, W., Rock, I., & Zuckerman, C. B. Meaning and familiarity in associative learning. Psychological Monographs,1960, 74 (Whole No. 491).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagné, R. M., & Briggs, L. J. Principles of instructional design. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaze, J. A. The association value of nonsense syllables. Journal of Genetic Psychology,1928, 35,255267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greeno, J. G. Situations, mental models and generative knowledge. In D. Klahs & K. Hotovsky (Eds.), Complex information processing: The impact of Herbert A. Simon. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greeno, J. Human memory: Paradigms and paradoxes. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendrix, G. A new clue to transfer of training. Elementary School Journal, 1947, 48, 197–208. Hendrix, G. Learning by discovery. Mathematics Teacher, 1961, 54, 290–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirt, E. R., McDonald, H. E., & Erikson, G. A. How do I remember thee? The role of encoding, set, and delay in reconstructive memory processes. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol., 1995, 31: 379–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inhelder, B., & Piaget, J. The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. New York: Basic Books, 1958.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, H. H., & Kendler, T. S. Effect of verbalization on reversal shifts in children. Science, 1961, 134, 1619–1620.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, T. S. Development of mediating responses in children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 1963, 28, No. E. 33–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lennenberg, E. H. On explaining language: The development of language in children can best be understood in the context of developmental biology. Science, 1969, 164, 635–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeill, D. The acquisition of language. New York: Harper & Row, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. A. The magical number seven plus or minus two: Some limits in our ability for processing information. Psychological Review, 1956, 63, 81–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. A., & Selfridge, J. A. Verbal context and the recall of meaningful material. American Journal of Psychology, 1950, 63, 176–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno, V., & Vesta, F. J. Analogies (adages) as aids for comprehending structural relations in text. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 1994, 19, 179–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neisser, U. Psychology of cognition. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noble, E. E. The familiarity-frequency relationship. Psychological Review, 1953, 60, 80–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman, D. Memory and attention. New York: Wiley, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosch, E. On the internal structure of perceptual and semantic categories. In T. E. Moore (Ed.), Cognitive development and the acquisition of language. New York: Academic Press, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shavelson, R. G. Some aspects of the correspondence between content structures and cognitive structures in physics instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1972, 225–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiker, C. C., & Terrell, G. Factors associated with transposition behavior of preschool children. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1955, 86, 143–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, B. J., & Schulz, R. W. Meaningfulness and verbal learning. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Vygotsky, L. S. Thought and language. New York: Wiley, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weir, M. W., & Stevenson, H. W. The effect of verbalization in children’s learning as a function of chronological age. Child Development, 1959, 30, 143–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whorf, B. L. Language thought and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1956.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ausubel, D.P. (2000). The Nature of Meaning and Meaningful Learning. In: The Acquisition and Retention of Knowledge: A Cognitive View. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9454-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9454-7_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5536-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9454-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics