Meaningful learning refers to the act of higher order thinking and development through intellectual engagement that uses pattern recognition and concept association. It can include—but is not limited to—critical and creative thinking, inquiry, problem solving, critical discourse, and metacognitive skills. The concept and theory of meaningful learning is that learned information is completely understood and can now be used to make connections with other previously known knowledge aiding in further understanding. Since information is stored in a network of connections, it can be accessed from multiple starting points depending on the context of recall. Meaningful learning is often contrasted with rote learning, a method in which information is memorized sometimes without elements of understanding or relation to other objects or situations. A real-world example of a concept the learner has learned is an instance of meaningful learning.
Benefits Utilization of meaningful learning may trigger further learning, as the relation of a concept to a real-world situation may be encouraging to the learner. It may encourage the learner to understand the information presented and will assist with active learning techniques to aid their understanding. Although it takes longer than rote memorization information, it is typically retained for a longer period of time.
Techniques Meaningful learning can incorporate many different techniques: concept map, collaboration, and hands-on tasks. Some techniques may be more helpful than others depending on the learner.
Nature of meaningful learning There are many ways to understand and define meaningful learning; it incorporates many facets of cognition. Similar types of learning include active learning, deeper learning, and integrative learning. Ausubel (1967:10) focused on meaningful learning as "a clearly articulated and precisely differentiated conscious experience that emerges when potentially meaningful signs, symbols, concepts, or propositions are related to and incorporated within a given individual's cognitive structure" (Takač 2008, p. 26). Shuell (1992) outlined the principles of the meaningful learning process:
Active: The learner must cognitively engage with the presented information using an appropriate learning style. Constructive: When information is incorporated into a cognitive structure, it is recreated as a new form showing the learner's own understanding. Cumulative: New information builds upon old information rather than being replaced or stored independently. Self-regulated: Meaningful learning is an independent process. The learner must conduct and regulate their own learning process as well as make decisions on how to organize the mental model. Goal-Oriented: An outcome or expectation should be worked by the learner. Moreover, the goal must be devised individually. Provided that these principles are followed, information becomes part of a hierarchically organized system in the mind. Within the system, the newly learned information is “anchored” and does not require constant revision to be retained. It is unknown for how long the information can be remembered; however, the duration of retention exceeds that of rote-learned information. Karpicke (2012) suggested that practicing retrieval rather than re-reading the information can strengthen the learner's ability to recall the information in the future. As a note, there are those who view it as unfair to cluster meaningful learning in with, what some view as indefensible, theories such as learning styles theories (Davis & Francis, 2023). An individual can display an understanding of the material by paraphrasing, summarizing, answering related questions, and utilizing the material to perform a task.
Variables Although anyone can engage in meaningful learning, the extent to which meaningful learning can be achieved depends on a number of mechanisms.
Availability of cognitive structures: Learners need to know how to appropriately process new information. Without proper organizational skills, learners cannot build upon past concepts. Stability of concept: It is difficult to understand new, complex concepts when learners do not have a solid foundation of background knowledge. Having a firm understanding of an existing idea will allow learners to integrate new ideas with old ones. Discriminability between concepts: It is much easier to forget superficial concepts than actual meaningful ones. The learning material must clearly define the learning objective so learners will learn only what is important rather than redundant information. Type of learning material: In general, pictorial and literary information is learned much quicker than numerical and nonsense information. Individual differences: There can be many external factors that cause individual differences between learners including age, socioeconomic class, heredity, intelligence quotient, and cognitive style. Prior knowledge or subsumption or anchor idea: This is the relevant knowledge that the individual has in their cognitive structure before obtaining the new knowledge. The meaning of the new knowledge that was learned depends on the existence of knowledge already in the individual's cognitive structure. Applying Knowledge: The individual must be able to relate the new knowledge in a logical and non-literal way to the previous knowledge already in their cognitive structure. The individual needs to be able to relate the new knowledge with the previous knowledge because new knowledge requires meaning to be integrated into the cognitive structure correctly. Relatable meaning: The meaning that the individual attaches to a particular point of knowledge gives it importance. This is because the meaning that is attached to what was learned determines the usefulness for it in their daily life. When a person learns meaningfully, it presents the ability to transfer those meanings to new situations that they face.
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