Effects of Enhancing Relevant Prior Knowledge on Students’ Adoption of Active Learning: A Quasi-Experimental Study

The study aimed to assess the effect of enhancing relevant topic-specific prior mathematical knowledge on students’ adoption of active learning when they are studying related new topics. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with two groups of primary third-grade students, including an experimental group of 47 students and a control group of (44) students. The results revealed that enhancing relevant topic-specific prior mathematical knowledge significantly contributed to students’ adoption of active learning when they were studying related new topics. Compared with students who did not receive enhancement prior to studying related new topics, students who received enhancement showed significant declines in cognitive load and improved positively in valuing active learning and responses to active learning. Hence, the enhancement increased the students’ cognitive resources and motivated them to adopt active learning.