Concept Maps in the Classroom: A New Approach to Reveal Students’ Conceptual Change

ABSTRACT

When entering the classroom, adolescents already hold various conceptions on science topics. Concept maps may function as useful tools to reveal such conceptions although labor-intensive analysis often prevents application in typical classroom situations. The authors aimed to provide teachers with an appropriate approach to analyze students’ concept maps within daily school routine. They intended to conclude qualitative changes from analyzing quantitative parameters. To test the approach, high school students were asked to map their conceptions before and after attending an educational program on climate change. For the analyses, quantitative as well as qualitative methods were applied. A comparison of pre- and postmaps pointed to a conceptual change. From strong correlations between qualitative and quantitative parameters we assumed our approach to be applicable. Due to its simple and barely time-consuming handling, the authors’ approach is suitable for application in conventional classroom situations and may contribute to inform teachers about students’ conceptions.

Keywords:

• classroom application
• climate change
• conception
• concept mapping
• perception

Notes

1. In the following, we refer to such conceptions as alternative conceptions rather than misconceptions as these conceptions are often only partly incorrect and serve as sufficient explanations for phenomena experienced in everyday life. When it comes to a scientific consideration of those phenomena, these conceptions lack comprehensiveness.

2. The term preconception refers to any conception, be it an alternative conception or a scientifically correct one, a student may hold before instruction.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniela Sellmann

Daniela Sellmann is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Didactics of Biology, University of Osnabrück, Germany. She is working in the field of education for sustainable development and socio-scientific issues, especially concentrating on out-of-school learning contexts. The present study was conducted as part of her PhD thesis supervised by Franz X. Bogner (University of Bayreuth).

Anne K. Liefländer

Anne K. Liefländer is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biology Education, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Her research focuses on educational evaluation, promoting connectedness to nature, environmental knowledge and attitudes through environmental education as well as cultural differences in knowledge about human-water systems.

Franz X. Bogner

Franz X. Bogner has been a full professor at the University of Bayreuth since 1997. His special research field is science and environmental education: (a) attitude measurement—independently confirmed, now in a worldwide usage; (b) knowledge structure within environmental education; and (c) behavior scale (coop. with F. Kaiser).