Taustateabe

Taustateabe, literally “background knowledge” in Finnish, is a term used in educational psychology to denote the network of knowledge, experiences, and preconceptions that a learner brings to a learning situation. It includes factual knowledge, procedural skills, attitudes, and contextual understanding. The quality and organization of taustateabe influence how new information is interpreted, encoded, and recalled, and they guide questions, expectations, and problem-solving approaches.

Because learners interpret new material through their existing mental models, taustateabe affects perception, inference, and transfer. When new content connects with well-organized and accurate taustateabe, comprehension and retention improve; when it conflicts with misconceptions, learners may resist or misinterpret. Activation of relevant taustateabe helps teachers tailor explanations and provide appropriate examples.

Assessing taustateabe involves diagnostic methods such as pre-tests, concept maps, open-ended questions, and think-aloud protocols to identify gaps and misconceptions before or during instruction.

Applications in teaching focus on activating and extending taustateabe. Instructional strategies include scaffolding, bridging tasks, and guided inquiry; diagnostic and formative assessment helps adapt explanations and pacing to the learner's knowledge base, supporting differentiation and conceptual change.

Taustateabe relates to established theories such as schema theory and constructivism and is closely associated with the concept of prior knowledge in educational psychology. See also: prior knowledge, schema theory, constructivism.