Theoretical origins of concept maps, how to construct them, and uses in education
Abstract and Figures
Concept maps, as we define them, are graphical tools for organizing and representing relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts. Words on the line, referred to as linking words or linking phrases, specify the relationship between the two concepts. Concepts and propositions are usually organized hierarchically, from most general, most inclusive to most specific. It is best to construct concept maps with reference to some particular question we seek to answer, which we have called a focus question. The concept map may pertain to some situation or event that we are trying to understand through the organization of knowledge in the form of a concept map, thus providing the context for the concept map. In this paper we briefly present the origins and theoretical foundations of concept maps, explain how concept maps are constructed, and then show how the integration of concept maps with technology in software such as CmapTools facilitates the implementation of concept map-based learning environments that support our New Model for Education. Last, examples from three domains are used to describe how concept maps can be used to organize content based on the knowledge of domain experts, creating an environment that is easy to navigate for learners.
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... Sin embargo, los recursos digitales pueden apoyar haciendo que los aprendizajes sean más visibles para todos los involucrados. Por ejemplo, se puede fomentar el uso de mapas conceptuales, como herramientas metacognitivas que facilitan a los estudiantes autoevaluar el grado en que lograron comprender un tema (Novak y Cañas, 2007); también se pueden usar bitácoras de aprendizaje y portafolios digitales para recolectar y monitorear el avance de los alumnos, a los que contribuyen ellos mismos describiendo sus trabajos y su progreso y reflexionando sobre sus fortalezas y áreas de mejora. Otras herramientas permiten a los jóvenes fijar sus propias metas de aprendizaje y darles seguimiento. ...
... Para favorecer el primer tipo de conexión, resulta fundamental promover que los estudiantes visibilicen sus creencias y conocimientos previos, y que los docentes los retomen para construir sobre ellos o para cuestionarlos si fuera necesario (Ausubel, 1973(Ausubel, , 1976(Ausubel, y 2002Novak y Cañas, 2007). Para ello se recurre a actividades sencillas como una lluvia de ideas iniciales o pequeños conversatorios exploratorios, hasta actividades más estructuradas como la elaboración de un mapa conceptual o ciertas rutinas de pensamiento. ...
Este documento compila, explica y ordena las grandes finalidades y los aspectos más globales de la propuesta educativa del Programa Nacional de Informática Educativa del Ministerio de Educación Pública y la Fundación Omar Dengo
(en adelante PRONIE MEP-FOD o el Programa): su visión y modelo institucional, su trayectoria y logros, su modelo educativo, su oferta y las condiciones
que han hecho posible su implementación y continuo crecimiento. La publicación presenta los avances logrados hasta la fecha en el diseño y ejecución de las distintas iniciativas que cobija el Programa, y muestra algunas nuevas propuestas que se están construyendo como parte de su constante proceso
de evolución y maduración.
... In her research, Coutinho (2008) concluded that Web 2.0 tools are versatile tools for pedagogical purposes and for blogging to create effective learning environments. In addition, concept maps created with Web 2.0 tools can be used as teaching tools that organize and present concepts, sub-concepts, and relationships between concepts (Novak & Canas, 2007). Bhattacharya and Mohalik (2020) stated that digital mind-mapping applications enable students to participate directly in learning. ...
Today, it is widely acknowledged that the use of the Internet and the development, production, and sharing of content over the web has become widespread. Web technologies that provide these conveniences are commonly referred to as Web 2.0 tools. This study aims to develop the skills of pre-service teachers who will teach Turkish as a mother tongue to produce digital content for mother tongue teaching with Web 2.0 tools. The research was conducted with action research, one of the qualitative research methods. The participants developed their digital content production skills through the research using many different Web 2.0 tools. With these different Web 2.0 tools, the participants developed instructional content such as puzzles, online quizzes, presentations, video preparation and editing, blogs/websites, and concept maps. The various digital contents developed by the participants with different Web 2.0 tools are digital teaching materials for reading, writing, listening/watching, and speaking skills that form the basis of mother tongue teaching. The participants' thoughts about feeling inadequate about web 2.0 tools before the implementation changed after the implementation. The participants could produce content with Web 2.0 tools, improve their teaching skills, and benefit from these tools in their teaching practicum.
... Concept mapping is a tool or technique for visualizing the relationship between multiple concepts, according to (Novak & Canas, 2007). When we make it correctly and in a methodical manner, concept mapping can help pupils achieve high levels of cognitive function. ...
The purpose of this study was to develop a reflective thinking scale for the students who were given concept map-based instructions in the classroom. The five-point Likert Scale was used
to measure reflective thinking. Concept Map, Reflective Thinking, Habitual Action, and Critical Reflection were chosen as the four dimensions or sublevels of the scale to measure reflective thinking. The scale construction was accomplished with the support of area specialists and linguistic experts. 76 ninth-grade students were chosen from three separate schools in the district of Ajmer, Rajasthan, for the 2018-2019 school year. The internal consistency of the scale was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency and the Split-half internal consistency method. On the scale, both techniques exhibit an optimal level of internal consistency.
... In this study, a graphical strategy is used to convert the source code text of the widget into a visual representation of a node. There are three main categories of graphical learning strategies there are graphic organizers [25] , knowledge maps [26] and concept maps [27]. These three graphic strategies are very identical in terms of their guiding principles and implementation despite the variations in visual presentation. ...
Flutter is a framework for making mobile applications cross-platform made by Google. From 2019 to 2021 the popularity of flutter is increasing. Flutter use declarative writing style to create layouts. This makes the layout in flutter immutable, and a light blueprint. This research proposes a construct on scaffold concept map method to help students understand the concept of widget arrangement in flutter layout. Construct on scaffold will provide the learner with a framework from an incomplete expert concept map. Some of the nodes and connecting relationships in the framework have been removed, so students must fill in the missing parts with several available answer choices to complete the concept map. To prove the impact of the application of this method, the study was conducted using a pre-post-test group experimental design. Students will do a pre-test, use the EasyFlutter application, and post-test. The results of the pre-test and post-test obtained were tested for normality first, then tested to find out whether there was an average difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. The results of the normality test show that the pre-test data are not normally distributed, and the post-test data are normally distributed, so the next test will use a non-parametric test, namely the Wilcoxon test. The test results show that the post-test mean score is higher than the pre-test mean. Wilcoxon test results also show that the Asymp value. Sig. (2-tailed) of 0.01, so it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. The application of the construct on scaffold method has a significant positive impact on the post-test scores of students related to the concept of widget arrangement in flutter.
... While students were working, they were happy that they could modify and archive their e-mind mapping; they also had the ability to export it as an image for further usage. Novak & Cañas (2006) stated that e-mind maps were easy to manage and to construct items freely as well as enhanced the learner"s memory. ...
... The diagram is supposed to help researchers in identifying issues of concern in the system's organization or performance [57]. This visual diagram, as Novak et al. [59] mentioned, also enables researchers to tactically intervene in the system with a view to optimizing its functioning. ...
The adequacy of language education largely depends on the favorable and unfavorable emotions that teachers and students experience throughout the education process. Simply said, emotional factors play a key role in improving the quality of language teaching and learning. Furthermore, these emotional factors also promote the well-being of language teachers and learners and place them in a suitable mental condition. In view of the favorable impact of emotional factors on the mental health of language teachers and learners, many educational scholars around the world have studied these factors, their background, and their pedagogical consequences. Nonetheless, the majority of previous studies have employed traditional research methods in assessing these variables and their influences on language teachers’ and learners’ mental health. Because of the complex and dynamic quality of emotional factors, traditional research approaches often fail to evaluate these factors and their dynamic, non-linear connections with teachers’ and learners’ mental health and well-being. Accordingly, some novel research approaches are required to measure the dynamicity and complexity of emotional factors in language education settings. To address this call, the current state-of-the-art conceptual article seeks to provide new insights for investigating emotional factors and their potential impact on language teachers’ and learners’ mental states. This study also intends to offer a comprehensive list of emerging methods that take into account the complex and dynamic nature of emotional variables. Finally, the study outlines the potential implications of this review for educational researchers.
Η αξιοποίηση της ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας στον χώρο της Εκπαίδευσης, σε συνδυασμό με την επιλογή μαθητοκεντρικών και κυρίως ομαδικών διδακτικών τεχνικών οι οποίες βασίζονται σε ομαδικά και συνεργατικά διδακτικά μοντέλα, διαμορφώνει μια δυναμική κατά τη διδακτική πράξη, που αποφέρει θετικά μαθησιακά αποτελέσματα και θετική στάση των εκπαιδευόμενων απέναντι στη διδακτική πράξη. Το περιεχόμενο του βιβλίου έχει στόχο τη συμμετοχική και συνεργατική μάθηση και την οικοδόμηση της γνώσης, και αφορά τόσο τον τρόπο διδασκαλίας, δηλαδή τις διδακτικές τεχνικές, που χρειάζεται να χρησιμοποιεί κάθε Εκπαιδευτικός πρωτοβάθμιας, δευτεροβάθμιας και τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, κατά την άσκηση του διδακτικού του έργου, όσο και την αποτελεσματική αξιοποίηση της εκάστοτε διαθέσιμης τεχνολογίας, όπως υποστηρίζει η τεχνολογική παιδαγωγική γνώση περιεχομένου. Η οργάνωση του βιβλίου κινείται σε δύο παράλληλους άξονες. Ο ένας άξονας αφορά τη θεωρητική παρουσίαση έντεκα επιλεγμένων διδακτικών τεχνικών και ενός μοντέλου, της «Ανεστραμμένης τάξης», και την υλοποίησή τους με τη χρήση της ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας. Ο δεύτερος άξονας αφορά τα θέματα που μελετώνται ως παραδείγματα κατά την εφαρμογή των διδακτικών τεχνικών και αναφέρονται σε γνώσεις οι οποίες συναποτελούν βασικό γνωστικό υπόβαθρο για τους Εκπαιδευτικούς. Τα θέματα πραγματεύονται θεωρητικά ζητήματα, τα οποία άπτονται της διδασκαλίας και της μάθησης, καθώς και ορισμένα παραδείγματα από τις Φυσικές Επιστήμες και την Πληροφορική. Ο συνδυασμός των δύο αξόνων πραγματοποιείται σε κάθε κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου, ώστε, με τη χρήση παραδείγματος, να αποδοθεί η λειτουργία της κάθε διδακτικής τεχνικής. Τα τρία εισαγωγικά θεωρητικά κεφάλαια του βιβλίου αναφέρονται σε θέματα διδακτικής και διδασκαλίας, στην παιδαγωγική αξιοποίηση της ψηφιακής τεχνολογίας και στην ομαδοσυνεργατική διδασκαλία. Ακολουθούν οι διδακτικές τεχνικές, και, στη συνέχεια, παρατίθενται δύο κεφάλαια, ένα κεφάλαιο για την εκπαίδευση STEM και ένα τελικό κεφάλαιο, το οποίο αναφέρεται στην ποιοτική αξιολόγηση των μαθησιακών αποτελεσμάτων, SOLO, αφού η αξιολόγηση αποτελεί αναπόσπαστο τμήμα της εκπαιδευτικής διαδικασίας. Το βιβλίο κλείνει με το παράρτημα, που περιλαμβάνει ορισμένα από τα παιγνίδια γνωριμίας φοιτητών και άλλων ενηλίκων με σκοπό τη συνεργασία σε ομάδα.
Presented article deals with conceptual mapping as a tool for evaluation of learners' education results. The outputs (concept maps) of 60 second-year higher secondary school students were analysed. The research sample consisted of a total 60 students out of which 30 were from grammar school and 30 from the secondary vocational school in Nitra. Individual concept maps were designed for the history classes (specifically about the First World War theme) within the 2021/2022 school year.
The results of the conducted research show that the conceptual mapping method (showing students' mental representations of the selected thematic unit from the history subject) is a suitable tool for assessment of results within this particular education level. Given method of assessment offers a much more complex view on the resulting conceptualization structure of students' knowledge. With the assistance of concept maps, we can easily understand the way students think, we do not evaluate just their knowledge but also the overall process of learning and thinking.
This study aimed at investigating the effect of using constructivist learning model on formation of the conceptual structure in chemistry among 12th grader students in the United Arab Emirates. To achieve the goal of the study, the following queatyion was asked: What is the effect of using constructivist learning model on the formation of the conceptual structure in chemistry among 12th grader students? The sample was consisted of (54) 12th grader male students distributed into two sections, one section was assigned as an experimental group, and the other section was designed as control group. The results of the study was analyzed using T-Test of independent samples to compare the means of post conceptual structure exam. The result shows that there is a significant difference at the level (α ≥ 0.05) between the mean scores in the formation of the conceptual structure test who studied chemistry using constructivist learning model compared to students who studied chemistry using the traditional method in favor of the experimental groups. Based on the study results, the study recommends the necessity of training science teachers to develop their educational practices in a way that agree with constructivist learning model and use this model to improve students' conceptual structure.
هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى الكشف عن أثر استخدام أنموذج التعلم البنائي في تكوين البنية المفاهيمية في الكيمياء لدى طلبة المرحلة الثانوية في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة تم طرح السؤال التالي: ما أثر التدريس باستخدام أنموذج التعلم البنائي في تكوين البنية المفاهيمية في الكيمياء لدى طلبة الصف الثاني عشر العلمي في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة مقارنةً بالطريقة التقليدية؟ تكون أفراد الدراسة من (54) طالباً موزعين على شعبتين دراسيتين، حيث تم اختيار إحدى الشعب كمجموعة تجريبية والأخرى مجموعة ضابطة، وقد تم اختيار العينة بصورة قصدية. ولتحليل البيانات واستخراج النتائج استخدام اختبار (ت) للعينيتين المستقلتين للمقارنة بين المتوسطين الحسابيين البعديين لعلامات المجموعة التجريبية والمجموعة الضابطة. حيث أظهرت النتائج وجود فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى الدلالة ( 0.05 ≤ α) على اختبار البنية المفاهيمية لصالح طلاب المجموعة التجريبية. وفي ضوء هذه النتائج أوصت الدراسة بضرورة تأهيل معلمي العلوم لتطوير ممارساتهم التعليمية بصورة تتفق وأنموذج التعلم البنائي، وبدعوتهم لاستخدامها لمساعدة الطلاب في تكوين بناهم المفاهيمية.
As a pedagogical strategy, Writing-to-Learn uses writing to improve students’ understanding of course content, but most existing writing feedback systems focus on improving students’ writing skills rather than their conceptual development. In this article, we propose an automatic approach to generate individualized feedback based on comparing knowledge representations extracted from lecture slides and individual students’ writing assignments. The novelty of our approach lies in the feedback generation: to help students assimilate new knowledge into their existing knowledge better, their current knowledge is modeled as a set of matching concepts, and suggested concepts and concept relationships for inclusion are generated as feedback by combing two factors: importance and relevance of feedback candidates to the matching concepts in the domain knowledge. A total of 88 students were recruited to participate in a repeated measures study. Results show that most participants felt the feedback they received was relevant (78.4%), easy to understand (82.9%), accurate (76.1%) and useful (79.5%); they also felt that the proposed system made it easier to study course concepts (80.7%) and was useful in learning course concepts (77.3%). Analyses of students’ submitted assignments reveal that more course concepts and concept relationships were included when they used the proposed system.
Finding relevant information on the Internet can be a daunting task that would be enhanced if the material were organized and could be accessed in an efficient manner. Browsers based on a concept map-based interface and on a World Wide Web page-based interface were compared for ease in finding information necessary to answer a series of search questions based on the same domain material (developmental psychology). Users differed in the amount of concept map training they received and the type of learner they tended to be (meaningful vs. rote learners). The results indicated that the concept map-based interface resulted in better search performance for all learners although this difference was most pronounced for meaningful learners. Training in concept map construction appeared to have no more effect on search performance using the concept map-based interface, than control conditions. Taken together, the results suggest that organizing information via a concept map-based interface leads to more accurate search performance than the typically used web page-based browser.
This paper describes CMEX Mars, an effort to create a comprehensive set of concept maps to describe all aspects of Mars exploration. These concept maps, created using the CmapTools software developed by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, are available on the Internet at http://cmex.arc.nasa.gov/CMEX and are linked among themselves as well as to resources on the Internet. The work described took place mainly between 1998 and 2001 and combined the goals of: 1) developing a library of concept maps for educational outreach, while also 2) refining the capabilities of the software used to create the interactive maps, and 3) making them available on the Internet. Here we focus on the library of Mars exploration concept maps that has been created.
In this article, we describe a continuing project directed toward the design and development of a knowledge-based expert system (NUCES), used to aid interpretation of radionuclide imaging in the heart. NUCES comprises a multimedia user interface, a diagnostic system, testing facility, and a novel explanation system. We describe its potential use in training clinicians, and discuss its implications for the delivery of widespread screening for heart disease.
In this paper, we report on a continuing research effort aimed at the development of an integrated knowledge acquisition system, ICONKAT. We describe the components of the tool and discuss how they may be used to facilitate the design, construction, testing, maintenance and explanation of knowledge bases. ICONKAT's knowledge elicitation subsystem, based on both personal construct theory and assimilation theory, interactively assists the domain expert in the task of building a model of his or her expertise. ICONKAT employs a collection of modeling primitives (i.e. the glue) as the material basis for the construction of a conceptual domain model. The maintenance subsystem provides support tools for use by the knowledge engineering team, as well as the domain expert, when testing the system's performance, refining the knowledge base, and maintaining the overall system. The components of the maintenance subsystem employ a variety of mediating representations (e.g. concept maps, repertory grids) to furnish various perspectives of the evolving domain model as embodied in the modeling primitives. Moreover, the domain model that emerges from the knowledge acquisition process is subsequently exported from the development environment to the delivery environment where it serves as the foundation of the explanation capability for the deployed system. ICONKAT is currently employed in the design and construction of an expert system for the diagnosis of first pass functional cardiac images.
This chapter focuses on the importance of concept maps for effectively teaching science students. Students who learn meaningfully relate information from different sources in an attempt to integrate what they learn with the intention of imposing meaning. They form connections between new information and material that has been previously studied, and they think about the underlying structure of what is learned. Concept maps have been particularly helpful in representing qualitative aspects of students' learning. They may also be used by students as a study tool or by teachers to evaluate learning, enhance teaching, or facilitate curriculum planning. Concept mapping is a tool for representing the interrelationships among concepts in an integrated, hierarchical manner. Concept maps depict the structure of knowledge in propositional statements that dictate the relationships among the concepts in a map. Concept maps provide a useful approach for promoting and assessing meaningful learning by providing a tangible record of conceptual understanding. Not only are concept maps useful for determining whether, or to what extent, shared meaning has occurred, but they also portray the areas where it has not been achieved.
Audio-tutorial science lessons were provided to 191 first and second grade children (instructed), and interviews were conducted periodically to assess changes in science concept under standing from grades one through twelve. A similar sample (n = 48) not receiving audio-tutorial lessons in grades one and two (uninstructed) was also interviewed periodically from grades one through twelve. Instructed students showed substantially more valid concept understandings and fewer invalid concepts (misconceptions) than uninstructed students in grades two, seven, ten, and twelve. Concept maps prepared from interview transcripts showed wide variation in knowledge for both groups, and concept maps scored using a scoring algorithm also showed significant differences favoring instructed students. The data show the lasting impact of early instruction in science and the value of concept maps as a representational tool for cognitive developmental changes.