The purpose of this study was to explore the use of concept map assessments in freshman level general chemistry courses. Two strategies were employed in this study. The first strategy involved the creation of a web based concept mapping program capable of scoring concept maps drawn by students. The second strategy involved comparing different…

Investigated use of concept and Vee-mapping strategies with regular seventh- and eighth-grade science students (N=155), focusing on changes in student acquisition of science knowledge and problem-solving performance. Includes methods of teaching Vee mapping, evaluating the maps, anectdotal records of Piagetian clinical interviews, findings, and…

The material presented in this article is intended to help students learn how to learn. The seven key concepts of David Ausubel's assimilation theory for cognitive learning are discussed with reference to the classroom. Concept mapping is suggested as a tool for demonstrating how the seven key concepts function. (SA)

Describes a study that examined changes in the structural complexity of knowledge held by two groups of introductory college-level biology students (N=68, N=93). The subjects constructed concept maps at four-week intervals throughout the instructional term. Contains 49 references. (DDR)

Students in general and science-oriented curriculum courses used concept mapping as the basis for developing lesson plans after having first learned the technique through a "fast-track" approach developed by the author. Resulting lesson plans were high in quality with few, if any, sequencing errors. (LZ)

Experiences of giftedness were studied through written responses to a phenomenological inquiry with seventh (n=40), eighth (n=41), and ninth (n=4) graders. Responses were qualitatively reduced to representative items, and students then performed card sorts of items. Analysis of students' sorts suggest positive and negative elements of the…

Studies of the relationship between students' propositional knowledge (as measured by concept mapping tasks) and their study strategies (as measured by self-report questionnaires) for electricity in first-year university courses are described. The effect of propositional knowledge and prior knowledge on both conceptual knowledge and study…

This article describes the genesis and development of concept mapping as a tool for science education. It also offers an overview of this special issue of the "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" and comments on the current state of knowledge representation. Suggestions for further research are made. (49 references) (Author/PR)

Describes how three biology textbooks present content related to photosynthesis through construct of elaboration. Concept maps were created for each textbook. Results are discussed in terms of quantity of elaboration, relevance of ideas used to elaborate major concepts, relationship of nature of elaboration to intended readers, and general…

Discussed is the use of concept mapping as a tool to enhance meaningful learning for college autotutorial biology students. Student attitudes toward concept mapping is described. The correlation between SAT scores and concept mapping was investigated. (KR)

Questions whether self-assessment helps teachers develop new conceptual structures in the context of integrated science. Examined 22 inservice teachers with concept maps, interviews, and questionnaires while they used teaching materials for eight integrated topics in the German PING Project. Discusses the importance of using self-assessment to…

Provides theoretical evidence supporting the assumption that cognitive mapping is an effective learning method for students' hypermedia design activities. Checks the effects of student hypermedia design assignments in an ill-structured environment against the uniqueness of cognitive mapping, mapping styles, and cognitive mapping as a creative…

Describes an innovation designed to capitalize on certain benefits of concept maps. Uses computer software with preservice teachers to enable them to construct concept maps that represent their own subject matter knowledge. Contains 21 references. (DDR)

Naturalistic and traditional social science models were used to conduct a needs assessment in which 35 stakeholders were interviewed about their perceptions of the functioning of a crisis agency and the needs of the community and the agency. Concept mapping (multidimensional scaling and hierarchical analysis) was used to establish need categories…

This article reports on an exploratory case study of a class of Year 4/5 government primary school students in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The purpose of this case study was to establish to what degree, if at all, the skills involved in information literacy are being assimilated and practised by primary school children. Results for…