Diagnosis of prior knowledge – UGC NET Question

Diagnosis in teaching involves identifying what learners already know and where gaps exist before new instruction begins. By probing prior knowledge,teachers can adjust the starting point and pace of a lesson. This helps avoid repeating what students already understand or moving too quickly. Thus,the process described in the stem is best termed diagnosis.

Option A:
Diagnosis may be carried out through questioning,short pre-tests or informal discussion. The aim is to understand learners’ entry behaviour,which fits the idea of checking prior knowledge before teaching new content.

Option B:
Grading summarises performance after an assessment and usually comes at the end of a unit or term; it does not describe initial checking of prior knowledge.

Option C:
Ranking orders students based on scores and is more about comparison than understanding what each already knows in detail.

Option D:
Certification focuses on awarding qualifications after a course or programme and is unrelated to preliminary assessment at the lesson’s beginning.