1. IntroductionAs time passes and technology becomes more widespread than ever, there is a vast amount of knowledge and information that requires individuals to respond more quickly to these developments around the world. One of the most effective ways to stay updated on the world around us is to read. Reading is a skill that every student needs along with other skills. Reading, as defined by the Macmillan Dictionary, is the process of recognizing written or printed words and understanding their meaning. For reading to be most effective, readers must read in their area of ​​interest and have prior knowledge of what will be read. For further clarification, prior knowledge is basic knowledge about certain topics. In other words, what a reader already knows about the topic he or she is about to read. This prior knowledge has a great impact on the reading and the reader.2. Description2. A. Terms Used for Background Knowledge Additionally, background knowledge is critical to reading comprehension. It is defined by the Free Online Dictionary as “Essential information for understanding a situation or problem”. The terms background knowledge and prior knowledge are generally used interchangeably (Strangman and Hall, 2010). Background knowledge and prior knowledge are parent terms for many other terms such as: conceptual knowledge, metacognitive knowledge, subject knowledge, strategic knowledge, personal knowledge, and self-knowledge (Strangman et al., 2010). Although the definitions and names of scholars' prior knowledge are different, they generally describe the same concept.2. B. Factors Determine Background Knowledge Furthermore, there are many factors that background knowledge could b...... middle of article ......NHUAvgCy4-HuRIoUF7y2b07jddLKA&cad=rjaSpires, HA & Donley, J. (1998). Activating prior knowledge: Inducing engagement with informative texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 249-260. Strangman, N. & Hall, T. (2010). Basic knowledge. Curriculum Improvement Report. Program of the United States Office of Special Education. National Center for Access to the General Curriculum. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=the%20role%20of%20 background%20knowledge%20in%20reading&source=web&cd=7&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQFjAG&url=http% 3A %2F%2Fsoar.wichita.edu%2Fdspace%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10057%2F256%2Ft06002.pdf&ei=O0WmTsvILdK2hAeU-pSeDg&usg=AFQjCNHearmwQCdk6JpPpDZEtGg7jiCG8QThe free online dictionary. (2011). The item "basic knowledge". Retrieved October 26, 2011, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ background+knowledge