Empirical approach in ontology engineering: An assessment on novice modelers

Abstract

In software engineering, one of the process improvement methods is through empirical studies. We compare several empirical studies on ontology engineering to discuss potential empirical works on our domain of interest, namely the learning process improvement. Subsequently, we conduct an assessment on novice modelers to determine the effects of ontology on subjects' learning process. The p-values indicate that there is a significant difference between the group that is provided with ontology (ontology group) and the group that is not (control group). Furthermore, the mean scores for comprehensiveness and confidence in the ontology group are slightly higher than in the control group. We conclude that the use of ontology may positively contribute to the learning process especially with the learners involved in the ontology engineering process.