Showing papers on "Concept map published in 1990"

Concept mapping: A useful tool for science education

Abstract: This article describes the genesis and development of concept mapping as a useful tool for science education. It also offers an overview of the contents of this special issue and comments on the current state of knowledge representation. Suggestions for further research are made throughout the article.

Concept Maps and Vee Diagrams: Two Metacognitive Tools to Facilitate Meaningful Learning.

Abstract: This paper describes two metacognitive tools, concept mapping and Vee diagramming, and reports on research utilizing these tools from grades one through university instruction. The psychological and epistemological foundations underlying these tools is presented briefly. The issues of the dominantly rote-mode nature of much school learning and the resistance of studients (and teachers) to move to meaningful learning strategies fostered by concept mapping and Vee diagramming are discussed. The data available to date from a variety of qualitative and quantitative research studies strongly support the value of these metacognitive tools both for cognitive and affective gains.

The concept map as a research tool: Exploring conceptual change in biology

Abstract: This study examined the concurrent validity of concept maps as vehicles for documenting and exploring conceptual change in biology. Students (N = 91) who enrolled in an elementary science methods course were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Subjects in both groups were administered a multiple-choice/free-response inventory which assayed their knowledge of “Life Zones in the Ocean,” and then were asked to construct a concept map on the same topic. Those in the experimental group subsequently received 45 minutes of computer-assisted instruction on marine life zones, while those in the control (“placebo”) group received an equivalent exposure to an unrelated topic (“Body Defenses”). Upon completing the instructional sequence, subjects were again administered the “Life Zones” inventory and asked to develop a postinstruction concept map on marine life zones. The data analysis employed a split plot factorial design with repeated measures. Differences among treatment groups were documented by analysis of variance and chi-square procedures. Subjects in the experimental group showed evidence of significant and substantial changes in the complexity and prepositional structure of the knowledge base, as revealed in concept maps. No such changes were found in the control group. Results suggest that concept mapping offers a valid and potentially useful technique for documenting and exploring conceptual change in biology.

Concept Mapping and the Cartography of Cognition.

Abstract: Since concept maps are designed to find out what the learner knows about a subject and are, in effect, maps of cognition, this article synthesizes relevant facts, concepts, and principles from cartography and applies them to concept mapping. The metaphor of the map and its applicability for representing scientific knowledge are discussed. The context of concept mapping is presented and suggestions for successful application of the technique in the science classroom are offered. Finally, researchers are invited to conduct studies that investigate the graphic representation of scientific knowledge in order to create, evaluate, and improve the graphics and graphic metacognitive tools (such as concept mapping) which are used in science teaching.

Semantic Networking: The New Kid on the Block

Abstract: This article briefly describes the SemNet™ software and some of its uses as an educational and research tool, with emphasis on the similarities and differences between concept mapping and semantic networking. A semantic network captures (in part) each concept's position in psychological space, identifying both the other concepts to which it is connected and the nature of the links that bind them. Computer-based semantic networks differ from paper-and-pencil maps in that they are n-dimensional; each concept can be linked to many other concepts; relations are bidirectional; representations can include images, text, and sound; and nets can be very large. Disadvantages of SemNet™ networks include (a) the difficulties in obtaining a clear overview and (b) the homogeneous nature of the representations, in which all links look alike. Advantages include the ability to integrate ideas across a large knowledge base, the ease and rapidity of net creation, the ease with which elements (concepts, relations, or propositions) can be found within nets, and the utility of nets as self-study tools. Concept mapping and semantic networking are complementary strategies that can be used effectively in tandem to help students learn, to help teachers teach, and to support cognitive research.

Concept Mapping as an Instructional Strategy for High School Biology

Abstract: In this study, concept mapping was assessed as an instructional strategy for use by high school students in learning biology concepts. Concept mapping, which requires learners to plot concepts and their interrelations in a meaningful organizational network, was compared with an established curriculum approach and tested in an interaction with learners of varying verbal ability. The design emphasized external validity. As hypothesized, concept mapping facilitated low-ability learners’ performance, but only on higher level, relational knowledge. The usefulness of the technique was discussed in terms of its ability to individualize and raise the quality of learning with little extra effort or resource costs to the instructional system.

Concept maps as a heuristic for science curriculum development: Toward improvement in process and product

Abstract: This article outlines the use of concept maps as a tool for science curriculum development and discusses the changes that occur in the teacher's view of the curriculum with successive revisions of the maps. Although we have used concept mapping in curriculum development with teachers from grades 4–8, we describe in detail the maps created by sixth-grade teachers. We analyzed the maps using three criteria: hierarchical structure, progressive differentiation, and integrative reconciliation. Changes made to the maps during the revision process, including additions and deletions, show increased clarification of both the concepts to be learned and the connections between them. Consecutive map revisions show the development of a cohesive conceptual grade-six science curriculum. The use of concept maps can help science teachers develop science curriculum that is hierarchically arranged, integrated, and conceptually driven.

Using a computerized concept mapping program to assess preservice teachers' thinking about effective teaching

Abstract: Concept mapping with Learning Tool, a computerized mapping program, was used to assess changes in the content and organization of 17 preservice teachers' concept maps for the topic of effective teaching. Preservice teachers in their senior year of an early childhood teacher education program constructed and revised concept maps with a partner. They entered reflections on each mapping experience into their reflective journals, developing implications for teaching. Analysis of the concept maps revealed that these students had a primary concern with classroom management throughout the year, linking diverse information to that concept. They evidenced detailed and diverse understandings under the labels of knowledge and organization. Professionalism was a common item, though it was less well developed. Their reflective journals indicated that these students moved from describing emotional reactions to using the computer program as a basis for reflection on the teaching/learning process. This study illustrates how concept mapping can be useful in describing students' evolving constructions of knowledge in a particular subject area, and in promoting reflection.

The relations between disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge and the length of teaching experience of biology and geography teachers

Abstract: Concept mapping was used to tap the conceptual disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge of seven biology and six geography teachers with short or long teaching experience. Based on five knowledge structure dimensions, the results were that (1) the disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge of teachers of both biology and geography is quite unsatisfactory; (2) the two types of knowledge did not improve with experience and the latter slightly deteriorated; and (3) the teachers mastered their disciplinary knowledge better than their pedagogical knowledge. The results are discussed in relation to the nature of the instructional activities and the different status of the disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge in teaching.

The Applications of Concept Mapping in Reference and Information Services.

Abstract: To be effective, library and information science profes sionals must be able to think conceptually and learn con tinuously. Concept mapping is a learning method de signed to foster this. It has been applied across several disciplines with various age groups and it can be used to depict knowledge related to reference and information ser vices. Concept maps drawn by prospective librarians and the learning these maps reflect are described, and a range of uses is suggested for the process in reference, instructional, and research activities.

Using Concept Mapping to Assist Prospective Elementary Teachers in Making Meaning.

Abstract: Science educators working with prospective elementary teachers strive to facilitate an understanding of science as well as an understanding of student and teacher roles in learning science in the classroom. One goal should be the introduction of strategies which assist prospective teachers in learning independently. Concept mapping provides a useful learning tool in assisting students’ critical reading of assigned materials. In this study, each student constructed his or her own map which facilitated group discussions and provided further opportunity to reflect on the ideas being presented. The purpose of reading became making connections instead of absorbing information. Through the process students gained a better understanding of a way of thinking about science which provides a valuable foundation for facilitating continued learning.

The effect of a metacognitive strategy of instruction on the anxiety level of students in science classes

Abstract: The search for more effective, alternative instructional strategies has led to focusing attention on the metacognitive strategy of concept mapping. The heuristic of concept mapping assists learners in understanding concepts and relationships between them and seeing the hierarchical conceptual propositional nature of knowledge. While the search for the enhancement of meaningful learning through metacognition is being intensified, there is a need to relate it to other classroom climate variables that could hamper the total classroom functioning of a student in the learning of science. This study investigated the relationship between the concept mapping heuristic and anxiety‐a variable that has been found to have a militating effect on learning. A total of 51 senior secondary school students formed the sample of the study. Using a pre‐post‐test experimental design, the experimental subjects had a 6‐week treatment of learning selected science concepts through the concept mapping strategy. Analysis of the data...

Application of concept mapping to systems engineering

Abstract: A graphical tool called concept mapping, which provides an easy means of organizing, communicating, and validating information in the early definition stages of a system study, is presented. Concept mapping is based on the premise that all knowledge can be represented by relationships between fundamental concepts. The concept map is a graphical representation that identifies the fundamental concepts and explicitly shows their relationships. The potential for using concept mapping in systems engineering is discussed, and an example application is given. >

A Comparison of Knowledge Acquisition Techniques Used in the Development of Expert Systems

Abstract: : The primary objective of this theses was to compare three knowledge acquisition techniques used to gather knowledge for the development of an expert system. The goal was to determine which technique produced knowledge in a form most suitable for incorporation into an expert system. The three acquisition techniques compared were interviewing, task observation, and concept mapping. Three experts were selected and randomly paired with a technique. Knowledge acquisition sessions were then conducted with each expert using the technique assigned to that expert. The knowledge extracted from these acquisition sessions was then compared. Overall, concept mapping produced more rules, in less time, and with fewer inferences than the interview or task observation techniques. Additionally, the knowledge base acquired through the concept mapping technique was more complete. Finally, concept mapping required one less translation of the knowledge to arrive at a form necessary for programming the expert system. An expert system was developed using the concept mapping technique and was validated in a field test. Results showed that the solutions provided by the expert system matched those provided by the human experts.

Chemistry concepts and group cognitive structure: A study of undergraduate nursing students

Abstract: The long term aim of this study is to document changes in the nature and level of conceptual understanding revealed by a cohort of undergraduate nursing students. The outcome of such a study may be used in future review and redesign processes by curriculum planners. Conceptual understanding of physiology and pharmacology, areas which are central to nursing studies depends, in turn, on an understanding of certain chemical concepts. This paper describes the group cognitive structure of 60 first year preservice nursing students, with respect to 21 basic chemistry concepts. Group cognitive structure is represented by non-metric multidimensional scaling of data obtained from individual concept maps prepared by students. The impact of prior studies in chemistry on the level of understanding revealed is discussed.

Mapping the Mess

Abstract: Explains how concept mapping taken from the educational world, can help clarify the mess. Asserts that combining this tool with a preliminary step goes a long way towards creating the consensus and harmony essential to the production of acceptable practical solutions. Contends concept maps provide a firm structure for carrying out discussions, negotiations and agreements. Concludes, when trying to achieve a quality improvement, all variables in multitudinous combinations are open for effecting the improvement. A concept map can do much to help visualize the tangle.