| Summary: | Concept mapping is a learning strategy based on constructivist theory that students
leam by incorporating new knowledge into pre-existing frameworks, or constructs. This
study attempts to determine whether on-going use of concept mapping by Biology 11
students facilitates meaningful learning.
The study utilizes both qualitative (student interviews) and quantitative (statistical
analysis of unit test scores) methodologies. For the quantitative analysis, the control and
experimental groups consist of four classes of Biology 11 students where two blocks were
exposed to concept mapping, while two were not (n=67; 33 concept mappers, 34 non-concept
mappers).
The findings are that although no statistically significant difference is found between
the experimental and control groups, the statistical analysis suggests a trend of increasing test
performance by concept mappers over non-concept mappers. The degree of difference
increases the longer students have been exposed to concept mapping. Additionally, students
provide insights into how concept mapping should be introduced, and shed light on common
problems encountered while they learn the technique. Overall, students find concept
mapping to be a valuable learning tool that most feel they will continue to utilize.
Implications for teaching strategies are examined in light of students' experiences. A further
study over a longer time frame could confirm the suggestion that with a longer exposure to
concept mapping, a significant difference could be found between the experimental and
control groups.
|
|---|
