Effectiveness of Mind mapping in Science Teaching among 8th grade Students

Abstract

Mind mapping is an innovative technique that is used to make contact among ideas by using main words that give directions to the human mind. Mind mapping facilitates the teaching-learning process for knowledge construction. This experimental study was conducted to examine the effect of mind-mapping activities on students’ learning, academic achievement, and retention of knowledge. The study was carried out on the subject of science at the elementary level. The objectives of the study were to find out the effect of mind mapping activities on students learning in science at the elementary level at different levels of the cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy (knowledge, comprehension, application, and analyses). Grade 8 students of a public school located in a district of Punjab were taken as samples through a random sampling technique. The mind mapping method was used to teach students. The Pre-test-Post test Equivalent-Groups Design was selected. Two-month lesson planning was used for mind-mapping activities to teach the eighth graders. Two groups were made, one as an experimental and the other as the control group. Data analysis was carried out through SPSS 21. A T-test was used to compare both groups’ performance. The findings of the study indicated that the experimental group participants achieved statistically significant and higher gains than students in the control group. The results from mind-mapping activities revealed that the mind-mapping technique has a positive impact on students' learning.