Pangasinan State University

Bayambang Campus

College of Teacher Education

Professional Education Department

Bayambang, Pangasinan

Ausubel’s Meaningful Verbal Learning/Subsumption Theory

Discussant: Abegail T. Melendez

I. INTRODUCTION
Many educational psychology theories frequently critique the expository or
instructional mode. Presentational teaching style. They claim that instructors play such an
important part in students' lives. Students continue to be passive recipients of knowledge
while learning as providers of information rather than building an entirely new cognitive
structure, they can relate it to information that is already present within their minds. Instead
of condemning this method of instruction, David Ausubel provided solutions to improve it.
He advocated for the employment of advance organizers. His views are incorporated in his
Meaningful Verbal Learning Theory.

II. DISCUSSION
Ausubel's Meaningful Verbal Learning/Subsumption Theory is a cognitive learning
theory developed by educational psychologist David Paul Ausubel in the 1960s. This theory
focuses on how individuals acquire and organize new information in their cognitive
structure. It emphasizes the importance of meaningful learning and how learners actively
integrate new knowledge into their existing mental frameworks.

Focus of Ausubel’s Theory

1. The most important factor influencing learning is the quantity, clarity, sand organization
of the learner’s present knowledge. This present knowledge consists of facts, concepts,
propositions, theories, and new perceptual data that the learner has available to him/her
at any point in time. This comprises his/her cognitive structure.

2. Meaningful takes place when an idea to be learned is related in some sensible way to
ideas that the learner already possesses. Ausubel believed that before new material can
be presented effectively, the student’s cognitive structure should be strengthened. When
this is done, acquisition and retention of new information is facilitated. The way to
strengthen the student’s cognitive structure is by using advance organizers that allow
students to already have a bird’s eye view or to see the “big picture” of the topic to be
learned even before going to the details.
Ausubel’s belief of the use of advance organizers is anchored on the principle of
subsumption: a process by which new material is related to relevant ideas in the existing
cognitive structure. Likewise, Ausubel pointed out, that what is learned is based on what is
already known. This signifies that one’s own prior knowledge and biases limit and affect
what is learned. Also, retention of new knowledge is greater because it is based on prior
concrete concepts.

Meaningful learning can take place through four processes:

1) Derivative subsumption. This describes the situation in which the new information
you learn is an example of a concept that you have already learned. Let’s say you
have acquired a basic concept such as “bird.” You know that a bird has feathers, a
beak, and lays egg. Now you learn about a kind a bird that you have never seen
before, let’s say a blue jay, that conforms to your previous understanding of bird.
Your new knowledge of blue jays is attached to your concept of bird, without
substantially altering that concept in any way. So, in Ausubel’s theory, you have
learned about blue jays through the process of derivative subsumption.

2) Correlative Subsumption. Examine this example. Now, let’s say you see a new
kind of bird that has a big body and long strong legs. It doesn’t fly but it can run fast.
To accommodate this new information, you must change or expand your concept of
bird to include the possibility of being big and having long legs. You now include your
concept of an ostrich to your previous concept of what a bird is. You have learned
about this new kind of bird through the process of correlative subsumption. In a
sense, you might say that it is more “valuable” learning than that of derivative
subsumption since it enriches the higher-level concept.

3) Superordinate Learning. Imagine that a child was well acquainted with a mango,
dalandan, guava, etc., but the child did not know, until she was taught, that these
were all examples of fruits. In this case the child already knew a lot of examples of
the concept but did not know the concept itself until it was taught to her. This is
superordinate learning.

4) Combinatorial Learning. This is when newly acquired knowledge combines with

prior knowledge to enrich the understanding of both concepts. The first three learning
processes all included new information that relates to a hierarchy at a level that is
either below or above previously acquired knowledge. Combinatorial learning is
different; it describes a process by which the new idea is derived from another idea
that is neither high nor lower in the hierarchy, but at the same level (in a different, but
related “branch”). It is a lot like as learning by analogy. For example, to teach
someone about how plants “breathe” you might relate it to previously acquired
knowledge of human respiration where man inhales oxygen and exhales carbon
dioxide.

Advance Organizers
The advance organizer is a major instructional tool by Ausubel. The advance
organizer gives you two benefits: (1) You will find it easier to connect new information with
what you already know about the topic, and (2) you can readily see how the concepts in a
certain topic are related to each other. As you go about learning about the topic and go
through the four learning processes, the advance organizer helps you link the new learning
to your existing scheme. As such, advance organizers facilitate learning by helping you
organize and strengthen your cognitive structure. Ausubel stressed that advance organizers
are not the same with overviews and summaries which simply emphasizes key ideas and
are presented at the same level of abstraction and generality as the rest of the material.
 Organizers act as a subsuming bridge between new learning material and existing related
ideas.

Types of advance organizers

a) Expository – describes the new context.

b) Narrative – presents the new information in the form of a story to students.
c) Skimming – is done by looking over the new material to gain a basic overview.
d) Graphic organizer – visuals to set up or outline the new information. This may include
pictographs, descriptive patterns, concept patterns, concept maps.

Application of Principles
1. The most general ideas of a subject should be presented first and the progressively
differentiated in terms of detail and specificity. He called this progressive differentiation.
According to Ausubel, the purpose of progressive differentiation is to increase the stability
and clarity of anchoring ideas. The basic idea here is that, if you’re teaching three related
topics A, B, and C, rather than teaching all of topic A, then going on to B, etc., you would
take a spiral approach. That is, in your first pass through the material, you would teach the
“big” ideas (i.e., those highest in the hierarchy) in all three topics, then on successive
passes you would begin to elaborate the details. Along the way you would point out
principles that the three topics had in common, and things that differentiated them.”
2. Instructional materials should attempt to integrate new material with previously presented
information through comparisons and cross-referencing of new and old ideas.

III. SYNTHESIS
In summary, Ausubel's Meaningful Verbal Learning/Subsumption Theory emphasizes
the importance of meaningful learning, the incorporation of new information into existing
cognitive structures, and the use of advance organizers to facilitate learning. By actively
engaging learners in the process of organizing and integrating new knowledge, this theory
seeks to promote effective and lasting learning outcomes. It has had a significant influence
on instructional design and educational practices, particularly in the development of
materials and strategies that enhance meaningful learning experiences for students.

In conclusion, Ausubel's Meaningful Verbal Learning/Subsumption Theory has

enduring relevance in education. Its focus on meaningful learning, the integration of new
knowledge into existing schemas, and the use of advance organizers provides a valuable
framework for educators to enhance their instructional practices and facilitate more effective
learning experiences for students.
IV. REFERENCES
A. Book
Lucas, M. R., & Corpuz, B. (2020). Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching:5th
Edition. Lorimar Publishing Inc.

B. Electronic
Subsumption Theory (David Ausubel) - InstructionalDesign.org. (2018, November
30). InstructionalDesign.org. https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/
subsumption-theory/

Pappas, C. (2021). Instructional Design Models and Theories: Subsumption

Theory. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/subsumption-theory

QUESTION:

This is a major instructional tool by Ausubel in Subsumption Theory. These are the introductory
materials or frameworks presented to learners before they encounter new information.

A. Hierarchy of Learning
B. Advance Organizers
C. Reception Learning
D. Concept Mapping

Answer: B

Explanation:

Ausubel introduced the concept of advance organizers, which are introductory materials or
frameworks presented to learners before they encounter new information. These organizers help
learners establish a mental framework or structure into which new knowledge can be integrated.
Also, the advance organizer gives you two benefits: (1) You will find it easier to connect new
information with what you already know about the topic, and (2) you can readily see how the
concepts in a certain topic are related to each other.

Advance organizers provide a roadmap for understanding and connecting new information with
what is already known.