THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

The Theory of Meaningful Learning from the perspective of the

cognitive psychology

Resort to information processing and equating for this purpose.

metaphorically compares the functioning of the mind to that of a computer. In this

approach, what matters is not the observable behaviors, but what

it actually happens when the individual processes that information and converts it into

knowledge and action.

The Theory of Meaningful Learning

David P. Ausubel is the creator of the Theory of Meaningful Learning, a

theory that has had a great impact on teaching and education. It is

a learning theory that focuses on the student. Learning

significant, its essential construct, is a key piece to understand the

modern constructivism. Therefore, the psychology of the

education or cognitive psychology without referencing Ausubel.

Brief historical appreciation

In 1963, Ausubel made his first attempt to explain a cognitive theory.

significant verbal learning.

This theory has therefore been in effect for more than forty years, which

justifies its explanatory power. Supposedly under the protection of the Theory of

Significant Learning has led to the planning of many school programs.

and curricular programs and deep down we don't really know what it's about or

what are their most notable aspects, those that could have
help us understand the intricacies that define learning

significant and that make it possible .

What is the Theory of Meaningful Learning?

We can consider the theory at hand as a psychological theory.

of learning in the classroom. Ausubel (1973, 1976, 2002) has built a

theoretical framework of reference that aims to account for the mechanisms for

that the acquisition and retention of large bodies is carried out

meaning that they resemble in school.

It is a psychological theory because it deals with the processes themselves that the

individual puts at stake to learn. But from that perspective, it does not address

topics related to psychology itself neither from a general point of view, nor

from the perspective of development, but instead emphasizes what happens in

the classroom when students learn; in the nature of that learning;

in the conditions required for it to occur; in its

results and, consequently, in their evaluation (Ausubel, 1976).

It is a learning theory because that is its purpose. The Theory of

Meaningful learning addresses each and every one of the elements,

factors, conditions, and types that ensure acquisition, assimilation, and

the retention of the content that the school offers to the students, so that

acquire meaning for it.

According to Ausubel (op. cit., p. 18) "educational psychology must concentrate

in nature and the facilitation of learning the subject of

study" and that means paying attention, on the one hand, to those

knowledge from psychology that is needed to account for

said processes; and, on the other hand, to those principles and premises arising from the

learning theories that can guarantee the significance of what

learned, without either of them becoming ends in themselves, already

what really matters is that meaningful learning is achieved in

the school environment.

That is why educational psychology is an applied science, in the

which frames the Theory of Meaningful Learning, a theory that,

probably for focusing on what happens in the classroom and how to facilitate

the learnings generated in it have deeply impacted

teachers and has become rooted at least in their languages and expressions, yes

well not so much in their educational practices, possibly due to

lack of knowledge of the principles that characterize it and that endow it with its

such potentiality.

Pozo (1989) considers the Theory of Significant Learning as a theory

cognitive restructuring; for him, it is a psychological theory that

it is built from an organicist approach to the individual and focuses on

learning generated in a school context. It is a theory that "deals with

specifically of the learning/teaching processes of the

scientific concepts based on the previously formed concepts by the

niño en su vida cotidiana. Ausubel desarrolla una teoría sobre la

interiorization or assimilation, through instruction" (op. cit., p. 209-

210), opinion that reinforces the consideration of cognitive psychological theory

of the learning that has Ausubel's construction. It is a theory

constructivist, since it is the individual-organism itself that generates y

builds his learning. According to Pozo (op. cit., p. 210), 'Ausubel puts the

emphasis of his theory on the organization of knowledge in structures and in

the restructuring that occur due to the interaction between those

structures present in the subject and the new information.

The origin of the Theory of Meaningful Learning lies in the interest that

Ausubel has to know and explain the conditions and properties of

learning, which can be related to effective and efficient ways of

deliberately provoke stable cognitive changes, susceptible to

to confer individual and social meaning (Ausubel, 1976). That is why it addresses

problems such as:

Discover the nature of those aspects of the learning process

that affect, in the student, the acquisition and long-term retention of

organized bodies of knowledge; b) the broad development of the

capabilities to learn and solve problems; c) find out what

cognitive and personality characteristics of the student, and what aspects

Interpersonal and social aspects of the learning environment affect the origin of the

The Theory of Meaningful Learning is in the interest that Ausubel has for

to know and explain the conditions and properties of learning, which are
they can relate to effective and efficient ways to provoke in a manner

deliberate stable cognitive changes, capable of providing meaning

individual and social (Ausubel, 1976). Therefore, it addresses problems such as:

Discover the nature of those aspects of the learning process

affect, in the student, the acquisition and long-term retention of

organized bodies of knowledge; b) the broad development of the

capabilities to learn and solve problems; c) find out what

cognitive and personality characteristics of the student, and what aspects

Interpersonal and social relationships in the learning environment affect the outcomes.

to learn a certain subject of study, the motivation to

learn and the characteristic ways of assimilating the material, and d) determine

the appropriate and most efficient ways to organize and present

study materials and to deliberately motivate and direct learning

towards concrete goals. (Op. cit., p. 23)

Ausubel believes that a theory of school learning that is

realistic and scientifically viable must address the complex nature and

significant that verbal and symbolic learning has. Likewise, and with

the object of achieving that significance must pay attention to each and every

one of the elements and factors that affect it, which can be

manipulated for that purpose. Therefore, its scope of application is the

learning and teaching of any organized body of knowledge,

what constitutes the different scientific disciplines that shape the

school curriculum.
What are the key concepts of the theory?

The purpose of this section is to analyze the meaning and potential of the

construct as such. To this end, a first part will address learning.

significant in itself, analyzed from two points of view: the position of Ausubel, by a

side, and some contributions and reformulations made throughout this time, by

another.

Significant learning: a review of its meaning

Meaningful learning could be considered a construct with a very

long story, as it has been said, at least in the context in which we ...

we move; analyzing it with a minimum of correction leads us to start from

its origins, that is, of the meanings attributed by Ausubel himself

(1973, 1976, 2002) since it emerged and to review, even if just briefly, no.

not only the meaning of the construct itself, but the entire theoretical construction

of which it is a part and to which it gives its name.

Ausubelian perspective

Meaningful learning is the central construct of the Learning Theory.

Significant Verbal and the Theory of Assimilation proposed by Ausubel

(1973, 1976, 2002).

Characterization

Significant learning is the process by which one relates a

new knowledge or new information with the cognitive structure of

the person who learns in a non-arbitrary and substantive or non-literal way.

That interaction with the cognitive structure does not occur by considering it

as a whole, but with relevant aspects present in it, that

they are called subsumers or anchoring ideas (Ausubel, 1976, 2002;

Moreira, 1997a).

The presence of inclusive, clear, and available ideas, concepts, or propositions in the

the apprentice's mind is what gives meaning to that new content in

interaction with oneself (Moreira, 2000a). That interaction is what characterizes the

meaningful learning. But it is not just a simple connection or link, but rather in

in this process, the new contents acquire meaning for the subject, resulting in

a transformation of the subsumers or anchoring ideas of their cognitive structure,

which thus become progressively more differentiated, elaborate, and stable (ibid.).

The human mind is forced to process very different and numerous

concepts and propositions that, in addition, change and evolve greatly

speed. Ausubel (1976, 2002) understands that the human mechanism of

excellence in learning to enhance and preserve knowledge is the

meaningful receptive learning, both in the classroom and in life

everyday. "Acquiring large volumes of knowledge is simply

impossible without meaningful learning" (Ausubel, 1976, p. 82).

But meaningful learning is not just this process, but it is also

your product. The attribution of meanings that is made with the new

information is the emergent result of the interaction between the subsumers

clear, stable, and relevant present in the cognitive structure and that

new information or content. As a result of it, those

subsumers are enriched and modified, giving rise to new

powerful anchor ideas or subsumers that will serve as a basis

for future learning.

In contrast to meaningful learning, a process that equips individuals with

meaning, Ausubel (1976, 2002) proposes the existence of learning

mechanical, a process that does not occur in a cognitive vacuum either, but

that does not imply interaction between the new content and the structure

cognitive of those who learn or who assume it is arbitrary and literal; given the

non-existence of clear and relevant anchoring elements in it,

the result or product is a repetitive learning that lacks meaning. In

any case, we have of to consider what learning

significant/mechanical learning are the two ends of a continuum or

dimension instead of constituting dichotomous positions, since

we usually move between one and the other.

The same happens with the reception learning/drawing learning dimension

discovery, a different perspective of analysis of the same cognitive process of

to learn that, in both cases or extremes, it can be in a memorized way

significant and have been associated with approaches and discussions

extremist and insufficiently documented pedagogies. The figure exposes

the existing gradation in both dimensions.

 Learning
Classification of environmental structures in natural and critical scientific concepts. New music or architecture.
significant

Conferences or most presentations in the books of Majority of the

text "research" or routine intellectual production

I work in the school laboratory

Learning Application Tables of solving puzzles by trial and error

multiply to solve problems Learning
mnemonic
Learning Learning
receptive discovery autonomous discovery

Figure. Continuous rote learning/meaningful learning and

receptive learning/autonomous discovery learning (Novak,

1988a).

Conditions

For meaningful learning to occur, two conditions must be met.

fundamentals:

Potentially significant learning attitude on the part of the learner, or

sea, predisposition to learn in a meaningful way.

Presentation of a potentially significant material. This requires:

On one hand, that the material has logical meaning, that is, that

can potentially be related to the cognitive structure of the learner

in a non-arbitrary and substantive manner.

And, on the other hand, that there are appropriate anchoring or subsuming ideas.

in the subject that allows interaction with the new material that is

presents.
There is an emotional or affective component in meaningful learning.

without which it is impossible to achieve it: if the individual does not show the intention or

willingness to establish substantive and non-arbitrary relationships between its

cognitive structure and the new material, learning does not occur from

significantly, even if there are the appropriate subsumers and

pertinent and the material is logically meaningful (Ausubel, 1976, Moreira,

1997a).

The expression 'logical meaning' refers to the characteristic sense of

own material in itself. The logical meaning refers to the ability that

It has the learning material provided to the student to connect.

in a non-arbitrary and substantive manner with some anchoring ideas that are

present in its cognitive structure and that are relevant to it. Should

to be, therefore, a non-random, plausible, reasonable material (Ausubel, 2000).

The way knowledge is organized in psychological terms

conditions the processes of meaningful learning and retention, implying

a hierarchical distribution of the cognitive structure "that differs

progressively based on the degree of generality and inclusiveness

(Ausubel, 1973, p. 215).

From the hierarchical organization attributed to the cognitive structure

they also derive two other principles that account for their functioning

y that have a special relevance: the progressive differentiation and the

integrative reconciliation
Assimilation

Through this process, as mentioned in the previous section, we

It basically produces learning in school age and adulthood.

they generate thus combines and requires, therefore, communication between different

individuals and with oneself. In fact, the representational learning that

we have situated at the base of cognitive functioning has its reason to be

in the representational properties of the words with which little by little

we are capable of building the discourse.

Various actions among the characteristic attributes of the concepts that

they constitute the anchoring ideas, to give new meanings to new

concepts and propositions, gradually enriching the structure

cognitive.

Ausubel explains the assimilation of concepts in the Theory of Assimilation

(1976, 2002). According to this, a new concept or idea potentially

significants are assimilated to a relevant subsumer that is modified

due to the assimilative interaction, since it has transformed into another one

explanatory and powerful (enriched subsumer), changing in the same way

Thus, it becomes potentially significant material that ceases to be potential.

to become psychologically significant reality.

Language

For the necessary assimilation that characterizes verbal learning to occur

significant, there is an important facilitator or vehicle:

Language. Meaningful learning is achieved through verbalization.

and of the language

The nominalization of concepts or events and verbal expression or ex-

the exteriorization of ideas is crucial in conceptualization, such as

we have had the opportunity to highlight, when analyzing the types of learning

significant or the formation and assimilation of concepts.

The role of language as a facilitator is notable and evident both in the

receptive meaningful learning as in the based on the

discovery, as it increases the manipulable capacity of

concepts and propositions, having an essential and operational role in the

functioning of thought (ibid.). If initial failure occurs in the

acquisition of the appropriate language, limits later development of the

cognitive abilities (such as information processing or problem solving)

of problems), which hinders subsequent cognitive performance. The

The correlation between language and meaningful learning is, therefore, crucial.

Facilitation

Once exposed to what is understood by meaningful learning, its

conditions, principles and types, as well as what is learned, we can

pay attention to how it is achieved or facilitated. Ausubel (1973, 1976, 2002)

it deals with this aspect profusely; it is no coincidence that its theory is a theory

psychological learning.
Another unavoidable task is to attend to the content itself, to manipulate it,

also, analyzing it conceptually, so that they can be determined

identify the concepts, the ideas, the essential methods to the process of

learning (Moreira 2000).

Types of meaningful learning

Based on the learned object, meaningful learning can be

representational, conceptual, and propositional.

Representational learning has an identifying function according to the

which establishes a correspondence between the symbol (in general, a

word) and its referent. This learning is basically repetitive and by

discovery; it primarily occurs in childhood and has nature

nominalist or representative.

The learning of concepts has a symbolic function that derives from the

equivalence relation that is established this time between the symbol and the

defining attributes, regularities or common criteria of different examples

of the referent; it has the character of a unitary meaning. Given that learning

representation naturally leads to the learning of concepts and

that this is at the base of propositional learning, the concepts

they constitute a central and defining axis in meaningful learning.

As new additional meanings are incorporated into them

symbols and signs, the definitional criterion attributes will be delimited

the concepts in a strict sense, what constitutes the Ausubelian process of

formation of concepts.

In this process, experience plays a fundamental role, as it is through

of successive stages and contacts with objects and/or events as it can

establish the generalization. From here and once they are already

present in the cognitive structure these conceptual elements, the

learning is achieved through the assimilation of concepts, that is, an incorporation

new materials for which are used as anchor ideas or

subsumers the already formed concepts, with which we can do

different combinations of their criterion attributes.

Propositional learning has a communicative function that generalizes

the aim is to learn ideas expressed verbally with concepts;

it handles, therefore, a composite meaning. The purpose of learning

Propositional is the attribution of meanings to the expressed ideas.

verbally, they are much more than the sum of the meanings of the

concepts that compose them.

The process that leads to the learning of concepts and that gives rise to

The learning of propositions has a substantive nature. If used

as a criterion the hierarchical organization of the cognitive structure, the

Meaningful learning can be subordinate, superordinate

combinatorial.
Superordinate learning occurs when a concept is incorporated. o

an idea that is capable of subordinating other existing ones in the mind of the

individual because it has a higher degree of abstraction and generality, resulting in

more inclusive.

In combinatorial learning (more frequent in propositions than in

concepts) there are no relationships of subordination or superordination,

unless connections are established with available content in the

cognitive structure but only in a general way. It consists of propositions

that make sense in general terms and are detected as

significant.

Dimensions of meaningful learning and their respective items

Dimensions Items
Characterization 2,7,18
Conditions 5, 6,13,15,20
Assimilation 4, 12, 14
Language 8, 9,10,16,19
Facilitation 1,3,11,17

MEANINGFUL LEARNING SCALES

GENERAL DATA
 EDAD: -------------------- SEXO: -------------------- GRADO: ----------------------

No. Items Yes No Sometimes

1 The use of the notes and readings that the teacher gives you,
it helps you understand the class better
2 When the teacher teaches a new topic in
class, you feel that it is easy to learn.
3 The teacher rewards you to understand and learn the
topics in class
4 You often pay attention to the class that
make your teacher
5 Do you feel that when forming groups of friends in the classroom,

you learn better

6 Do you feel that with group work you achieve better results?
notes
7 some subjects are easier to understand
what other
8 you participate in the development of the class with the help of
your professor
9 The teacher explains again with patience and joy
what you don't understand
10 The teacher explains with the help of images the
themes for your better understanding
11 Do you feel that the teacher cares about what
you do in class and for what you learn.
12 The teacher gives you a test for each class that he
carry out
13 The teacher conducts the class according to your preference and
way of learning
14 Do you feel that the tasks assigned by the teacher for
your home helps you learn more
15 Your parents help you solve the tasks you
leave the teacher
16 The teacher asks that you participate at the moment of
conduct the class
17 The professor's classes help you through games.
to better understand the topics
18 El profesor conversa con tus padres y les informa
about your notes
19 The teacher talks to you about what you
It happens day by day either at home or in class.
20 The teacher likes everyone to get along.
class

Statistical justification

To determine the internal consistency of the scale, we proceeded to calculate the

reliability index using Cronbach's alpha statistic, the same that

I determine that the instrument is reliable. Quantitative results that are

they show below:

Reliability of the meaningful learning scale

Dimensions Cronbach's alpha reliability index

Characterization ,85
Conditions ,74
Assimilation ,69
Language ,80
Facilitation 65

Construct validity item - test

To ensure objectivity and minimize the margin of error in data collection

Data was used to determine construct validity, using the type

item - test, with the Pearson product moment statistical procedure the

which determined the significance as well as the discrimination index, positioning itself

in a parameter greater than .30. This indicates that the instrument is valid.

Item - test

Item 1 Pearson correlation 468**

Mr. (bilateral) 0
Item 2 Pearson correlation ,473**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 3 Pearson correlation ,343**

Mr. (bilateral) 0
Item 4 Pearson correlation ,431**

Ms. (bilateral) ,000

Item 5 Pearson correlation ,447**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 6 Pearson correlation ,356**

Mr. (bilateral) ,000

Item 7 Pearson correlation ,523**

Mr. (bilateral) ,000

Item 8 Pearson correlation ,310**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 9 Pearson correlation ,374**

Mr. (bilateral) ,000

Item 10 Pearson correlation ,418**

Mr. (bilateral) 0

Item - test

Item 11 Pearson correlation 511**

Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 12 Pearson correlation ,430**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Ítem 13 Pearson correlation ,484**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 14 Pearson correlation ,367**
Sig. (bilateral) 0
Item 15 Pearson correlation ,246**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 16 Pearson correlation ,302**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 17 Pearson correlation ,381**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 18 Pearson correlation ,300**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 19 Pearson correlation ,423**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000
Item 20 Pearson correlation ,489**
Mr. (bilateral) ,000