Appropriation of knowledge

Appropriation of knowledge is the process of constructing knowledge from social and cultural sources, and integrating it into pre-existing schemas. It is a developmental process that comes about through socially formulated, goal-directed, and tool-mediated actions. Appropriation draws on the developmental theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, as both the cognitive and social-constructivist views of learning are equally emphasized.Henry Jenkins, discusses appropriation as "the ability to meaningfully sample and remix the content(s)" of our culture for new expressive purposes. Jenkins noted that many literature classes in schools are embracing appropriation. A common example of appropriation at its finest is Ricardo Pitts-Wiley's "Moby-Dick: Then and Now," a contemporary reworking of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick narrative. Fundamental to appropriation is the idea that knowledge is socially constructed and that the student plays an active role in its construction. Appropriation has occurred when the student has adapted the information in a way that is meaningful to them and they can use the knowledge as their own.

Appropriation in education is often understood and analyzed through activity theory. This theory was developed by Aleksei N. Leontiev and focuses on understanding the socio-cultural context (specifically the setting) learning occurs in. Activity theory is predicated on the assumption that a person's frameworks for thinking are developed and carried out in specific settings, and that these settings mediate cognitive development. Since appropriation also places a strong emphasis on setting, these theories complement each other when being used to analyze learning environments.

Hung has developed steps through which the appropriation of knowledge usually occurs. The process is as follows:

Through research with English teachers, Grossman et al. developed a theory to describe the varying levels of appropriation. The degrees

There are a variety of factors that can affect the level of appropriation that the student achieves. Some of these factors are:

Through appropriation students construct their own versions of knowledge, allowing internalization of the information they have learned. Their beliefs and behaviours concerning the concepts learned also change. These transformations alter the student’s conception of the information, which will affect how that information is given to others interacting with the student. How knowledge is transferred from one person to the next is an important aspect of appropriation and demonstrates the collaborative aspect of appropriation, where knowledge is constantly being negotiated with other. Collaboratively, students and teachers construct knowledge in a way that is meaningful to them.

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