Design and development of semi-automatic concept map authoring support tool

Abstract

This research, to design and develop a concept map authoring support tool, adopts a semi-automatic concept mapping approach to help teachers create concept maps from English readings. A concept map is widely regarded as a useful teaching and learning tool. It offers many potential advantages apart from representing the students’ knowledge and understanding during learning. Students’ engagement in using and creating concept maps with a computer-enabled concept mapping tool raises concept maps’ potential benefits. It contributes to the learning process and improves the students’ meaningful learning. The Kit-Build concept map framework, which incorporates a technology-enabled concept mapping tool, uses concept map recomposition as its essential learning activity. In learning with Kit-Build, teachers compose concept maps that they want the students to achieve. The teachers’ maps are then decomposed into components from which the students recompose and reflect deeply on their understanding. The difference between teacher’s and students’ concept maps depicts the gap between teachers’ expected understanding and students’ actual understanding. Hence, the teachers’ concept map becomes an essential part of learning with Kit-Build. For some teachers, creating a good concept map for learning is difficult and time-consuming. Hence, support to improve teachers’ productivity in creating concept maps is essential. The findings suggest that the support tool yields better concept mapping efficiency while maintaining concept maps of similar quality. Teachers also found that the support tool was useful. Therefore, semi-automatic concept mapping with the supported Kit-Build concept map authoring tool has been shown to be a better approach.