Dalam sejumlah konteks penggunaan dan khususnya bidang pendidikan, 'prior knowledge' lazim dimaknai sebagai 'pengetahuan/kemampuan awal' yang telah dimiliki oleh seseorang dan menjadi prasyarat untuk mempelajari pengetahuan atau kecakapan lanjutan. Dalam hal ini, 'prior knowledge' sering dipadankan dengan 'background knowledge' atau 'pre-existing knowledge'. Juga, sebagai istilah teknis, 'prior' tidak harus sinonim dengan 'before'. Maka, 'prior knowledge of professional law' bisa dipadankan dengan 'pengetahuan awal tentang hukum profesional'

"Background knowledge or prior knowledge is quite simply what someone already knows about a subject that will help him gain new information." (http://www.pba.org/programming/programs/focusoned/1596/)

"Since new knowledge and skill is dependent on pre-existing knowledge and skill, knowing what students know and can do when they come into the classroom or before they begin a new topic of study, can help us craft instructional activities that build off of student strengths and acknowledge and address their weaknesses. ... Once prior knowledge and skill is assessed, there is a range of potential responses, depending upon the type of course, the uniformity of results, and the availability and type of supplemental materials and alternatives." (http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/priorknowledge...

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/museumeducation/p...