Showing papers on "Concept map published in 1992"

A Comprehensive Use of Concept Mapping in Design Instruction and Assessment

Abstract: This study describes the use of concept mapping (CM) in design, instruction and assessment, related to a microbiology program prepared for high school (grades 10 and 11) students in Israel. It describes how CM was used in developing an hierarchically sequenced program. The impact of the new program on students’ achievements was determined by comparing two groups: (a) students who studied the new program using CM themselves (mappers); and (b) students who studied the new program without CM. It was found that CM students’ overall gain was higher. Students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards mapping were mostly favourable towards the cognitive benefits of CM. However, many students did not like certain aspects of CM. Some teachers exploit the potential of CM better than others.

Concept Mapping with a Cooperative Learning Flavor.

Abstract: SINCE Joe Novak and his associates at Cornell University developed and introduced the concept mapping strategy in 1972, biology teachers, educators and science education researchers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Israel and Nigeria have tried using concept maps. Schmid and Telaro (1990) report that biology students in Canada enjoyed lessons in which concept maps were used. Wallace and Mintzes (1990) and Lehman, Carter and Kahle (1985) reported similar experiences in the U.S. Concept mapping requires learners to plot concepts and their interrelations in a meaningful organization network. It has been shown to improve problem solving skills in biology (Okebukola 1991), reduce anxiety level in biology classrooms (Alaiyemola, Jegede & Okebukola 1990; Jegede, Alaiyemola & Okebukola 1990; Okebukola & Jegede 1989a, 1989b) and promote meaningful learning of science concepts (Novak 1990a, 1990b; Okebukola 1990; Okebukola & Jegede 1989a; Wandersee 1990). When concepts are mapped, they help to change experience from terra incognita (a region of the unknown) to terra cognita (a region of the known) (Wandersee 1990).

Post-questioning, concept mapping and feedback: a distance education field experiment

Abstract: This study was designed to assess the instructional potential of two learning strategies-post-questioning and concept mapping-in the presence and absence of systematic instructional feedback. It is a first attempt to test combinations of these treatments experimentally in the context of a course in distance education. Five research questions, drawn from the literature of postquestioning, concept mapping and feedback, were formulated to guide the design and analysis. Substantial differences in achievement outcomes were found for four of the five questions. These results are discussed in relation to the existing literature on outcomes of learning strategies and their implication for practice in distance education. This study concerns two prime elements found in most instructional models: learning strategies (or instructional strategies) that engage and direct students in the activity of learning, and instructional feedback that provides correction to and reinforcement of the student's initial attempts at achieving learning objectives. Our purpose was to assess experimentally the relative merits of two learning strategies-administered with and without the addition of explicit instructional feedback-on cognitive achievement in the natural context of an ongoing distance education course. Learning strategies In an important paper on learning strategies, Rigney (1978) outlined a construct that has received wide acceptance. Strategies may be assigned by the instructional system or activated by the learner, and they may be classified as embedded strategies or detached strategies. Embedded strategies are specific to the content of instruction (eg postquestions, advance organisers) and cannot readily be generalised to other content. Detached strategies (eg cognitive mapping, note-taking) are not specific to particular content and therefore may be applied to a variety of material. The learning strategies which we investigated were system assigned, but they differed as to their relationship to

Using concept maps as a tool to apply chemistry concepts to laboratory activities

Abstract: The use of concept maps helps guide students in applying chemical concepts to laboratory activities.

Flexibility of Expressiveness: A Critical Factor in the Design of Concept Mapping Tools for Learning

Abstract: This research report questions whether the expressiveness of cognitive mapping tools is an important variable in learning and retention of the information in a concept domain. Learning Tool, TextVision and SemNet have different symbol systems, different types of operations, and different means for expressing semantic relations in the concept domain to be studied by the learner. A qualitative analysis of student reports concludes that a concept mapping tool should offer a flexible method of representation rather than a fixed symbol set. The overall finding that flexibility of expressiveness is the major principle in concept mapping tools was made more explicit in seven design criteria for a new generation of ‘adaptive’ mapping tools.

Attitude of Teachers towards Concept Mapping and Vee Diagramming as Metalearning Tools in Science and Mathematics.

Abstract: Summary Concept mapping and vee diagramming are metalearning tools that have recently appeared on the science education scene. Literature attesting to their metacognitive potentials for students provide reason for optimism regarding their use for tackling rote memorization of scientific concepts. Are teachers who are key agents in the diffusion process of an educational innovation positively disposed towards these new metalearning tools? This is the broad question addressed in this study. The first phase of the study resulted in the development and validation of an instrument–the Attitude towards Concept‐ and Vee‐Mapping Inventory (ACVMI). The second phase involved the use of this instrument to collect data for answering two major research questions. Data obtained from 48 biology, 36 chemistry, 24 physics and 33 mathematics teachers who had been trained in and had used the two tools showed a largely favourable attitude towards learning the techniques and using them in teaching science rather than mathemat...

Use of Concept Mapping to Improve Problem Solving

Abstract: ABSTRACT: This study investigated the use of concept mapping, a technique of graphically illustrating the relationships between ideas, as a learning strategy for improving problem solving. Fifty‐eight freshman and sophomore physical therapy and athletic training majors were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Experimental Group subjects were trained in concept mapping and then studied a text passage by reading and drawing a concept map of the content. Control Group subjects studied the same text passage in their usual manner. Following the study session, subjects in both groups took a problem‐solving test that required application of the passage content. Results of a regression analysis showed that subjects who used concept mapping to study the text passage scored higher on the problem‐solving test than subjects who studied in their usual manner. These results suggest that concept mapping may be an effective means of improving students' problem‐solving ability.

TextVision and the Visualisation of Knowledge: School-based Evaluation of its Acceptance at two Levels of Schooling

Abstract: This chapter discusses.the potential of concept mapping tools for hypertext and learning situations in particular. TextVision enables students to visualise their prior knowledge and may also elicit concept structures from the teacher and domain expert. Research results from implementations of TextVision used in school settings are given and discussed.

The nature of student learning in engineering

Abstract: This paper describes a study of the nature of knowledge structures held by six first year undergraduates in a branch of engineering. Their knowledge structures were defined using the construction of concept maps as an exploration mechanism. A third year undergraduate and a member of staff also provided concept maps from which their knowledge structures could be defined. Comparing the outcome from this study with other studies, a further dimension is apparent. The aspect of confidence was identified that relates to the affective domain. Confidence in a knowledge structure is based on a (valid) personal system of models, experiences and datum ‘values’ which are found in reality. The inclusion of models, experiences and values in a knowledge structure leads to a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals handle problems. The study reported here is deeper than those which have been reported in the referenced literature.

A computer-based AIDS education program for nursing students.

Abstract: A multidisciplinary team has developed a computer-based software program for educating nursing students and other college students about six sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The program for educating about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the first of the six "Smartbooks" to be completed, using the Hypercard Expert System shell on the Macintosh computer. Information is organized within a framework known as a concept map, and the student user progresses through the program in a self-directed way by "clicking" on the portion of the concept map that is of interest. Thus, the knowledge base can be accessed in many different ways, and is not restricted to a linear format. Comparative quantitative analysis using a control program shows consistently better student retention of information presented within the program that features concept maps. Qualitative results indicate that students find the conceptually-arranged knowledge base implicitly easy to understand, "fun" to use, and interesting to explore. Educational theory suggests that the success of such a format may be related to the schematic nature of memory.

Use of concept maps in microcomputer-based program design for an AIDS knowledge base

Abstract: This research evaluated the effectiveness of concept maps for representation and organization of a knowledge base about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The knowledge was represented within a micro-computer based program. Domain experts developed a concept map representing the major concepts of subordinate knowledge about AIDS. Two computer programs were subsequently developed, using different ways to graphically represent the knowledge base about AIDS. One program used a graphic display of the concept map to guide the learner in using the program, the other used a traditional linear format. The research occurred in two phases. First, interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of fourteen nursing student volunteers for the purpose of determining student perceptions and concerns as they used the concept map program. These interviews revealed positive student perceptions concerning the use of concept maps. A need for the program to contain some sort of tracking system for the user's progression through the program was identified. The experimental phase of the study used a repeated-measures factorial design. Knowledge about AIDS was assessed at pretest, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test. Eighty-four student volunteers were randomly assigned by computer to either the concept map or linear format program. Forty-nine students returned to take the delayed post-test from two to six weeks after completing the immediate post-test. The results of paired t-tests indicated a significant effect of treatment on both groups. That is, students using both the concept map and linear format programs showed gains in knowledge about AIDS from pretest to immediate post-test. There was a significant main effect of time-on-task on post-test performance. Even after partialing out the effect of pretest performance and time-on-task, differences between treatment groups accounted for virtually none of the gain in knowledge experienced by participants in this study. Item analysis included the use of two subscales, depending on whether the knowledge being assessed by the item was explicitly or implicitly addressed in the SmartBook. Although the use of concept maps has been considered to promote inductive learning, similar gains were seen for each item type. Interpretation of these findings should include the following considerations: (a) students using the concept map SmartBook were exposed to a unique way of presenting information within a micro-computer based program for which they had no special preparation; and (b) since the linear format SmartBook was created from the concept map SmartBook, differences between programs may have been too small to measure with the instrument used in this study.

Cognitive Tools: The Experience of CASP, NoteCards, SemNet

Abstract: An explanation of the way graphical representations of concept relationships can facilitate incidental learning is provided. The graphical interface, provided by the concept map cognitive tools (CASP, NoteCards, SemNet), indicates implicit relationships held or understood by users. Implicit or tacit knowledge is made explicit by cognitive tools.

A Taxonomy for Computer Software Adoption Policy

Abstract: This article proposes a taxonomy to aid decision makers in selecting computer software that is consistent with the their values and preferences for instruction. It builds on two interrelated arguments: 1) the nature of instruction and the use of information technology derive from a conceptual framework that is embedded in an explicit or implicit belief about the nature of human development and learning, and 2) due to the value nature of instruction, the instructional beliefs embedded in software should be congruent with the decision maker's beliefs underlying instruction.The taxonomy consists of three components: characteristics of patterns of instruction, properties of software, and the congruence between them. These components are interrelated in a mapping sentence [1] that maps characteristics of instruction onto properties of software. The taxonomy refers to two types of educational decision makers. Believers, whose decisions are predetermined by a belief commitment and orchestrators, whose decisions ...

(S)GML-based hypermedia: Generic resources for exploratory learning

Abstract: Hypermedia design needs large information bases before Hypermedia becomes realistic environments for students. Existing text and picture files from newspapers, encyclopedias and technical reference manuals have markup definitions in order to express the semantic attributes of concepts and keywords. This chapter addresses the potential of grammar-based markup languages like (S)GML that can assist students in exploring concepts in the text according to their actual state of knowledge and interest. Fortunately, (S)GML allows flexible markup strategies so that the instructional designer is free to define instructional attributes in various ways.