This study describes 5th, 8th, and 11th-grade students', teachers', and medical professionals' conceptions of flu and microbial illness. Participants constructed a concept map on "flu" and participated in a semi-structured interview. The results showed that these groups of students, teachers and medical professionals held and structured their…

This article is about an investigation of six middle school science teachers' beliefs and instructional practice about the coherence of the science they teach as articulated by National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996). Many well intentioned reform efforts focus on improving content knowledge of teachers, but many classroom teachers…

A look at real data shows that Reckase's psychometric theory for standard setting is not applicable to bookmark and that his simulations cannot explain actual differences between methods. It is suggested that exclusively test-centered, criterion-referenced approaches are too idealized and that a psychophysics paradigm and a theory of group…

The purpose of the present study was to identify, categorize, and model clients' understanding of early counseling alliance formation factors. Forty participants who had received counseling services were interviewed and asked about what observable behaviors and verbalizations they thought had helped establish the alliance with their counselor.…

Recurrent problems in medical teaching clinic are common and difficult to address because of complex interpersonal dynamics. To minimize this difficulty, we developed a conceptual model that simplifies problems and identifies the root cause of tension between groups in clinic. We used recursive analysis and modeling of the data from a larger…

The issue of structural and semantic interoperability among learning objects and other resources on the Internet is increasingly pointing towards Semantic Web technologies in general and ontology in particular as a solution provider. Ontology defines an explicit formal specification of domains to learning objects. However, the effectiveness to…

This study identifies the variables in construction of concept maps and purposefully tests the instructional effects of concept mapping in facilitating student achievement when those identified variables are manipulated. Concept map development consists of three important elements: the concepts, propositions and its hierarchical structure. A total…

Three experiments were conducted to investigate whether graphic organizers (GOs) were more effective than concept maps (CMs) in facilitating text learning. Experiment 1, which involved 56 undergraduates, was a replication of the second experiment of D. H. Robinson and K. A. Kiewra (1995) except that only GO and CM conditions were included. All…

Concept mapping, a technique based on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning, involves the organization of concepts into an hierarchical arrangement. Suggestions for incorporating this learning strategy into the biology classroom are presented and discussed. Steps in concept mapping include: (1) identifying important concepts in the study…

Examines the potential of concept mapping as a learning strategy to be used with children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Concept mapping was found to increase children's ability to organize and represent their thoughts. Teaching strategies are suggested. (BB)

The use of concept maps, diagrams indicating relationships between concepts, as a tool for evaluating student comprehension is discussed, and examples of student concept maps drawn in physics and literature courses are provided. (MSE)

The paper provides a college mathematics student's concept maps, definitions, and essays to support the thesis that language-based prior knowledge can influence students' cognitive processes of mathematical concepts. A group of intermediate algebra students who displayed terms mainly from the spoken language on the first and the second concept…

This paper examines the equivalence of two construct-a-concept-map techniques. construct-a-map with created linking phrases (C) and construct-a-map with selected linking phrases (S). The former places few constraints on the respondent and has been considered the gold standard; the latter is cost- and time-efficient. They are compared in terms…

The purpose of "Considering Consistency" is to provide conceptual and procedural guidance regarding reliability within the context of a local assessment system. Some of this document's contents echo "Measured Measures." For instance, methods for estimating the reliability of individual assessments, particularly as appropriate for…

Describes how concept maps can be used in biology teaching. Concept maps for genetics and ecology are presented as a model. How to use these maps as curricular and instructional tools and as a means of evaluation is also included. (HM)