Leveraging a Sorting Task as a Measure of Knowledge Structure in Bilingual Settings
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Leveraging a Sorting Task as a Measure of Knowledge Structure in Bilingual Settings Hengtao Tang1
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Roy Clariana1
Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016
Abstract This descriptive exploratory study considers whether a simple sorting task can elicit readers’ knowledge structure in learners’ first and second language. In this investigation, knowledge structure is considered from a symbolic connectionist viewpoint as the fundamental pre-meaningful aspect of knowledge, where structure is the precursor of knowledge acquisition and the underpinning of meaningful activity. Chinese–English (C–E) bilingual participants (n = 23) were assigned to one of four counter-balanced conditions to complete two presorting tasks, read an English expository text passage, and then complete two post-sorting tasks including: CE-read-EC, CE-read-EC, EC-read-EC, and EC-read-CE. Data analysis focused on the knowledge structure measures elicited by the four sorting tasks. Results show that both the reading and the sorting elicitation task itself differentially influenced knowledge structure; the Chinese post-sorting task immediately after reading the English text led to a relatively more relational structure than did the English post-sorting task. Individual’s knowledge structure elicited by the sorting tasks was not much like those of other students, but each individual’s self-to-self structure in Chinese and English were somewhat alike before reading (r = .35, 13 % overlap) and moderately alike after reading (r = .62, 39 % overlap). These findings add to the evidence base that sorting tasks can elicit knowledge structures in dual language settings. Keywords Knowledge structure Sorting task Second language reading Measurement
1 Introduction Scholars in many disparate traditions have invested tremendous effort to explore the nature of knowledge, especially in this current knowledge economy where knowledge is fundamental to society. So what is knowledge? Among other things, Anderson (1984) attributed
& Hengtao Tang [email protected] 1
Pennsylvania State University, 314 Keller Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
123
H. Tang, R. Clariana
structure as the basis of knowledge, the underpinning of meaningful constructs, and the precursor of knowledge acquisition (Clariana 2010; Rumlehart et al. 1986). Gonzalvo et al. (1994) describe knowledge acquisition as a process of the modification of knowledge representations, where structural relations among information elements assemble more and more over time. This ‘structure’ viewpoint is now so mainstream that the National Research Council (2001) described measurement of knowledge structure as an integral part of a complete classroom assessment system. Knowledge structure (KS), variously known as cognitive structure, integrative understanding, internal connectedness, schema, structural knowledge, and many more like constructs denote how information elements are associated in human memory as well as in artifacts (Clariana 2010). For example, Martinez (2010) remarks that, ‘‘…
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