Concept Mapping Technique Research Articles

Collaborative and multilingual approach to learn database topics using concept maps.

Authors report on a study using the concept mapping technique in computer engineering education for learning theoretical introductory database topics. In addition, the learning of multilingual technical terminology by means of the collaborative drawing of a concept map is also pursued in this experiment. The main characteristics of a study carried out in the database subject at the University of the Basque Country during the 2011/2012 course are described. This study contributes to the field of concept mapping as these kinds of cognitive tools have proved to be valid to support learning in computer engineering education. It contributes to the field of computer engineering education, providing a technique that can be incorporated with several educational purposes within the discipline. Results reveal the potential that a collaborative concept map editor offers to fulfil the above mentioned objectives.

Identification of intangible assets in knowledge‐based organizations using concept mapping techniques

This paper proposes a procedure for identifying the intangible assets that generate value to knowledge‐intensive organizations using concept mapping techniques. Concept mapping is a form of structured conceptualization that incorporates and processes the opinion of a set of experts. A double statistical treatment consisting of a multidimensional scaling analysis and a cluster analysis is applied to a set of data provided by experts to obtain the results, which are presented in the form of maps. As a case study, the social and legal departments in a Spanish university were analyzed. As a result, 60 items referring to different intangible assets of these departments were identified and grouped into 10 clusters, and they were in turn grouped in regions corresponding to the three basic components of intellectual capital: human capital, structural capital and relational capital. The evaluation of the relative importance of each of them leads to the preeminent position of the structural capital.

Fen ve Teknoloji Öğretmenlerine Yönelik Teknoloji Destekli Kavram Haritaları Uygulamaları

In Science and Technology teaching, it is significant to contribute to the meaningful learning of concepts by making use of technologically supported techniques so that the students can construct knowledge correctly in their minds. Concept mapping, one of these techniques, is a visual technique that can reflect a presentation of concepts related to a subject and correlations among them in a hierarchical order. Founding interconceptual relations correctly is required for meaningful learning. It is essential that Science and Technology teachers learn how to use and apply concept mapping techniques in Science and Technology course so that the students could prepare concept maps well. Within this scope, in-service training seminars were held in 7 cities of Turkey, one city from each region where the Science and Technology course teachers are the highest in number. The subjects of the seminars were; “Science and Technology Teaching in scope of Constructivist Approach” “Concept Mapping Technique in Science and Technology Teaching, “Studies towards Practice of Concept Maps”, “The Inspiration Program and How to Use It”, “Practice Samples Prepared with the Inspiration Concept Mapping Software”. Total duration of the seminar equals to 1,5 workday or 8 hours. The seminars were held in Izmir, Erzurum, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Samsun, Antalya and Bursa. This study includes examples of concept maps which Science and Technology teachers prepared during the seminars.

Use of technology-assisted techniques of mind mapping and concept mapping in science education: a constructivist study

The study aims to investigate the effects of using mind maps and concept maps on students' learning of concepts in science courses. A total of 51 students participated in this study which used a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test/post-test control groups. The constructivist-inspired study was carried out in the sixth-grade science course unit of ‘Light and Sound’ in a primary school with two experimental groups and one control group. The intervention was held in the experimental group 1 by using technology-assisted technique of mind mapping, in the experimental group 2 by using technology-assisted technique of concept mapping, and in the control group by means of traditional classroom instruction. After the intervention in the experimental groups, concept tests and open-ended questions related to the unit were used as post-tests. According to the data obtained from concept tests, it was found out that all groups' understanding of concepts was equivalent. Significantly, students in the experimental group 2 reported positive opinions, stating that learning through concept maps was useful and engaging.

Do they know that they know? EFL learners’ attitude towards concept mapping in listening comprehension

The ability to listen efficiently plays a key role in oral communication for ESL/EFL students. Scholars in the field have suggested many strategies and methods to improve listening comprehension. One of these methods is concept mapping. However, whether the students actually realize that concept mapping may improve their listening comprehension has not been explored. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of applying concept mapping techniques on EFL learners’ attitudes towards using this technique in listening comprehension. To this end, 146 EFL students at the elementary level of language proficiency were selected, and they were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the course of eight sessions, the experimental group went under an intervention of concept mapping, during which concept maps were introduced, and the listening paper of the KET was used as practice material. Descriptive statistics and a paired sample t-test that was utilized to analyze the data established that the two groups were significantly different in their listening comprehension ability. In order to assess the participants’ attitudes, before and after the treatment, the researchers administered a self-assessment questionnaire to the participants in the experimental group. The results indicated that the participants felt that using concept mapping strategies significantly improved their listening comprehension. The fact that the participants made this realization indicates that using concept mapping strategies raised the learners’ awareness regarding their listening, and may lead to learner autonomy.

Improving EFL Students' Self-regulation in Reading English Using a Cognitive Tool

Problem Statement: One of the techniques which recently have attracted attention of researchers is concept mapping. Although, there are a number of researches investigating the influence of concept mapping technique on different skills e.g. reading, writing and etc, there are quite few studies on the effect of concept maps on motivational factors which are influential in students' success in reading such as self-regulation. Purpose of Study: This paper strives to investigate if concept mapping as a cognitive tool could contribute to improving self-regulation of students in a reading course. Methods: To fulfill the aim of the study, sixty university students from one of the universities in Iran were randomly assigned to two groups: one experimental (concept mapping) and the other control (conventional method). Findings and Results: Results revealed that there was a significant difference between the two groups with students in the experimental group outperforming those in the control group on self-regulation in reading. Conclusion and Recommendations: The findings of the present study clearly demonstrated that the use of concept mapping strategy in teaching reading comprehension benefited Iranian EFL students who are at the intermediate level of language proficiency. The findings of the study have implications for teaching reading nationally and globally.

Identification of new added value services on intelligent transportation systems

The evolution of electronics and the growing capabilities of in-vehicle and public infrastructure equipment make feasible the development of new value-added services in the field of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). However, initiatives in this sense frequently failed due to the lack of agreement or coordination among service providers, public authorities and final users. This article proposes a scientific method based on concept mapping techniques to extract these value-added services. The main benefit of the proposed methodology is its ability to take into account the different points of view of the main actors involved in the transportation field. Obtained results will provide the general guidelines for future ITS services.

Ageing in an inconvenient paradise: The immigrant experiences of older Korean people in New Zealand

The purpose of this paper is to explore the immigrant experiences of older Korean people and their intergenerational family relationships in the New Zealand context. Data were collected from qualitative interviews with older people, community leaders and professionals in Christchurch and Auckland. Data analysis was conducted using concept mapping techniques in the cross-cultural context where two languages were simultaneously used. The findings of the study show that older Korean people in New Zealand were likely to face multiple challenges due to the combined effects of immigration and ageing in a new country. Some older people experienced difficulties in managing their immigrant lives and intergenerational relationships in the transnational family context in which their family members were dispersed across two or more nations. The immigrant experiences of older migrants might be affected by an 'invisible' source of isolation and exclusion at familial, community, societal and transnational levels.

Developing Concrete Research Proposals and Facilitating Self-Directed Learning via Concept Mapping

Self-direction in learning and writing viable research proposals are considered by higher education institutions as essential skills for graduate students to start their careers as researchers. This is an evidence-based practice study focuses on the use of concept mapping to facilitate self-directed learning and enhance research proposal writing in teacher education. An action mixed methods research design was used in this study with quantitative and qualitative data. Participants were 29 graduate students who were enrolled in a core course aimed to provide learners with an in-depth understanding of research methods. All students, at the beginning of the course, were asked to write a research proposal and complete the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS). They then were given training in the use of concept mapping technique throughout the course to develop research proposals. Students’ scores prior to and after the intervention were compared. Results indicate that students developed significantly more concrete research proposals, and displayed higher scores at post-intervention assessment. Findings of this study value and support the use of concept mapping to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge of their area of study as they reflect on every element of their proposals.

Collaborative Concept Mapping as a Pre-Writing Strategy for L2 Learning: A Korean Application

 Abstract—This study aimed at examining the use of concept mapping technique in a course module for Korean language learning with U.S. college students, who were prompted to engage in collaborative writing planning. The study assumed that concept mapping enhances students' communicative interaction to promote their L2 writing. One hundred and twenty-three participants were recruited from three different proficiency level classes (beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes). Data were collected during three writing sessions: pretest of writing, individual planning, and collaborative planning. The MANCOVA results on the five components of composition score showed that the effect of collaborative concept mapping on L2 writing significantly differed across the three class levels. The study suggested practical implications for the use of collaborative mapping tasks in L2 writing contexts.

Assessment of Understanding using Concept Map: A Novel Approach

Map (CM) is a visual knowledge representation (KR) tool that represents concepts and the relationships among them. A concept is referred to the perceived regularity of objects or events. The concepts are used to form the nodes of the map and the relationships among these concepts form the edges. This tool provides a visual representation of a knowledge which will be very much useful for humans to understand better. This paper proposes a novel approach that analyzes the role of CM in knowledge assessment. The participants have been introduced with concept mapping technique and asked to map their understanding of the topics covered during the session. The results obtained after analysis are found to be encouraging to proceed for further studies.

The Effect of Learner Constructed, Fill in the Map Concept Map Technique, and Summarizing Strategy on Iranian Pre-university Students’ Reading Comprehension

Concept maps (CM) are powerful tools which have different uses in educational contexts; however, this study limited its extension and explored its impact on the reading comprehension skill of Iranian EFL students. To this purpose, a proficiency test was employed and 90 intermediate pre-university students were chosen and divided into three groups: learner constructed CM group, fill in the map CM group, and summarizing strategy group. The whole study was conducted within three months. At the beginning of the study, a reading comprehension test (as a pre test) was administered to measure the comprehension ability of the subjects. During the five-session treatment period, the assigned strategies were taught and practiced in each group. Then, another reading comprehension test (as a post test) was employed to compare the effect of treatment on the comprehension skill. The results of the study showed that despite the efficacy of all three strategies, the fill in the map version of CM was the most influencing one. It suggested that in general, CM technique might be regarded as an alternative or even as an effective replacement of the summarizing strategy for reading comprehension skill.

Going to the Source: Creating a Citizenship Outcome Measure by Community-Based Participatory Research Methods

This study used participatory methods and concept-mapping techniques to develop a greater understanding of the construct of citizenship and an instrument to assess the degree to which individuals, particularly those with psychiatric disorders, perceive themselves to be citizens in a multifaceted sense (that is, not in a simply legal sense). Participants were persons with recent experience of receiving public mental health services, having criminal justice charges, having a serious general medical illness, or having more than one of these "life disruptions," along with persons who had not experienced any of these disruptions. Community-based participatory methods, including a co-researcher team of persons with experiences of mental illness and other life disruptions, were employed. Procedures included conducting focus groups with each life disruption (or no disruption) group to generate statements about the meaning of citizenship (N = 75 participants); reducing the generated statements to 100 items and holding concept-mapping sessions with participants from the five stakeholder groups (N = 66 participants) to categorize and rate each item in terms of importance and access; analyzing concept-mapping data to produce citizenship domains; and developing a pilot instrument of citizenship. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed seven primary domains of citizenship: personal responsibilities, government and infrastructure, caring for self and others, civil rights, legal rights, choices, and world stewardship. Forty-six items were identified for inclusion in the citizenship measure. Citizenship is a multidimensional construct encompassing the degree to which individuals with different life experiences perceive inclusion or involvement across a variety of activities and concepts.

MAKING CONCEPT MAPS USEFUL FOR PHYSICS TEACHER EDUCATION: ANALYSIS OF EPISTEMIC CONTENT OF LINKS

In physics teacher education the use of graphical knowledge representation tools like concept maps are abundantly used because they are known to support the formation of organised knowledge. It is widely assumed that certain structural characteristics of concept maps can be connected to the usefulness of content. In order to study this relationship, the concept maps made by pre-service physics teachers are examined here. The design principles of the concept maps are based on quantitative experiments and modelling as the basic procedures in physics concept formation. The epistemic plausibility of justifications written in links is evaluated by using a four-level classification introduced here. The results show that the epistemic analysis of links affects remarkably to the acceptability of knowledge. The advantages of such concept mapping technique in supporting the conceptual understanding in physics teacher education are discussed as well as their usefulness in making plans for teaching. Key words: concept maps, epistemic content, physics teacher education, science education.

What is a doctorate? A concept-mapped analysis of process versus product in the supervision of lab-based PhDs

Background: Concept-mapping and interview techniques are used to track knowledge and understanding over the duration of PhD study amongst four students and their supervisors in the course of full-time research towards their PhDs. This work is in contrast to much PhD supervision research and policy research that focuses on supervisory styles and roles and may decontextualise the topic and disciplinary setting. Purpose: The work investigates the understanding of the process and product in PhD-level research and supervision. Sample: Participants were four students and their supervisor(s). Case studies were based on longitudinal studies conducted over three to four years (the duration of a PhD). The students were all enrolled in lab-based PhDs in one UK-based higher education institution. Three of the four students were international (one EU-based) and three supervisors were from outside the UK. Design and methods: The data provide documentary evidence of the ways in which these supervisors act to facilitate learning and discovery of research processes and an understanding of lab-based science research supervision. In the initial interview (conducted separately with students and supervisors), the interviewee constructed two maps, one on the topic of the PhD and one on the process of a PhD. In subsequent interviews, the student or supervisor reviewed and updated the previously constructed maps. Transcripts of the interviews were made as well. These data draw on 72 interviews and 96 unique concept maps constructed. The challenges of a PhD being both a process of learning (for the student and the supervisor) and a product of a research project are explored using case study analysis of these four pairs. Findings and discussion: Analyses of the collected data suggested that the students focused more on the product of a PhD (completing a thesis and publication), whereas the supervisors concentrated on the process of learning and scientific development. Conclusions: Evidence in the study suggested product/process differences in the student and supervisor conceptualisation of the PhD. This paper offers development towards a research-led pedagogy of supervision that places the process and product of a PhD at the centre of the supervisory relationship.

Mapping Evidence-Based Guidelines to Standardized Nursing Terminologies

The purpose of this study was to explore how evidence-based practice recommendations for adults with depression were represented in two standardized nursing terminologies. A qualitative concept analysis was used to answer the research question. Concepts were extracted from the recommendations and matched to two standardized nursing terminologies through lexical and semantic concept mapping techniques. Study findings included variability in the lexical mapping to the standardized terminologies. The ability to map semantically was greater than lexical mapping, but the majority of these were partial matches. Findings also raised concerns about the potential for ambiguity of data retrieved when using standardized terminology.

Using concept mapping for planning and evaluation of a statewide energy efficiency initiative

In this paper, concept mapping techniques for planning and evaluating energy efficiency initiatives are presented using a case example from an evaluability assessment of a statewide initiative in the USA. Cluster maps, point cluster maps, cluster rating maps, pattern matches, go-zones, and other information are used to demonstrate how concept mapping can inform non-arbitrary, defensible decisions and subsequent actions for energy efficiency and renewable energy financing, program planning, and evaluation.

Concept Mapping: An Approach for Evaluating a Public Alternative School Program

This article describes how concept mapping techniques were applied to evaluate the development of a solution-focused, public alternative school program. Concept Systems software was used to create 15 cluster maps based on statements generated from students, teachers, and school staff. In addition, pattern matches were analyzed to examine the degree of consensus between different groups and represent levels of agreement on the content of cluster maps. The findings appear to support teacher, administrator, and staff adherence to the solution-focused approach in the alternative school. What students thought was important in helping them achieve academic success were clusters that centered on relationships and future goals. Teachers, administrators, and staff also viewed relationships as important, but they rated more concrete aspects of the school and goal-setting as being more important. Concept mapping appears to be a useful program evaluation methodology for school social workers to consider and a valuable tool for examining complex problems and solutions within school organizations.

Interactions of team mental models and monitoring behaviors predict team performance in simulated anesthesia inductions.

In the present study, we investigated how two team mental model properties (similarity vs. accuracy) and two forms of monitoring behavior (team vs. systems) interacted to predict team performance in anesthesia. In particular, we were interested in whether the relationship between monitoring behavior and team performance was moderated by team mental model properties. Thirty-one two-person teams consisting of anesthesia resident and anesthesia nurse were videotaped during a simulated anesthesia induction of general anesthesia. Team mental models were assessed with a newly developed measurement tool based on the concept-mapping technique. Monitoring behavior was coded by two organizational psychologists using a structured observation system. Team performance was rated by two expert anesthetists using a performance-checklist. Moderated multiple regression analysis revealed that team mental model similarity moderated the relationship between team monitoring and performance; a higher level of team monitoring in the absence of a similar team mental model had a negative effect on performance. Furthermore, team mental model similarity and accuracy interacted to predict team performance. Our findings provide new insights on factors influencing the relationship between team processes and team performance in health care. When investigating the effectiveness of a specific team coordination behavior, team cognition has to be taken into account. This represents a necessary and compelling extension of the popular process-outcome relationship on which previous teamwork research in health care has focused. Moreover, the current study adds further external validity to the concept of team mental models by highlighting its usefulness in health care.

Cybercrime: Understanding and addressing the concerns of stakeholders

Cybercrime and cybercriminal activities continue to impact communities as the steady growth of electronic information systems enables more online business. The collective views of sixty-six computer users and organizations, that have an exposure to cybercrime, were analyzed using concept analysis and mapping techniques in order to identify the major issues and areas of concern, and provide useful advice. The findings of the study show that a range of computing stakeholders have genuine concerns about the frequency of information security breaches and malware incursions (including the emergence of dangerous security and detection avoiding malware), the need for e-security awareness and education, the roles played by law and law enforcement, and the installation of current security software and systems. While not necessarily criminal in nature, some stakeholders also expressed deep concerns over the use of computers for cyberbullying, particularly where younger and school aged users are involved. The government’s future directions and recommendations for the technical and administrative management of cybercriminal activity were generally observed to be consistent with stakeholder concerns, with some users also taking practical steps to reduce cybercrime risks.