ERIC Number: EJ1255143
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2227-7102
EISSN: N/A
Concept Mapping in Magnetism and Electrostatics: Core Concepts and Development over Time
Thurn, Christian M.; Hänger, Brigitte; Kokkonen, Tommi
Education Sciences, v10 Article 129 2020
Conceptual change theories assume that knowledge structures grow during the learning process but also get reorganized. Yet, this reorganization process itself is hard to examine. By using concept maps, we examined the changes in students' knowledge structures and linked it to conceptual change theory. In a longitudinal study, thirty high-achieving students (M = 14.41 years) drew concept maps at three timepoints across a teaching unit on magnetism and electrostatics. In total, 87 concept maps were analyzed using betweenness and PageRank centrality as well as a clustering algorithm. We also compared the students' concept maps to four expert maps on the topic. Besides a growth of the knowledge network, the results indicated a reorganization, with first a fragmentation during the unit, followed by an integration of knowledge at the end of the unit. Thus, our analysis revealed that the process of conceptual change on this topic was non-linear. Moreover, the terms used in the concept maps varied in their centrality, with more abstract terms being more central and thus more important for the structure of the map. We also suggest ideas for the usage of concept maps in class.
Descriptors: Concept Mapping, Scientific Concepts, Science Education, Cognitive Structures, High Achievement, Concept Formation, Misconceptions, Secondary School Students, Physics, Foreign Countries, Active Learning, Inquiry, Prior Learning, Early Adolescents, Advanced Courses, Expertise
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A