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Collaborative Concept Mapping


File number :
PPEE-ISC-08e

Bibliographic reference :
Ledger, T. (2004). The Effect of Collaborative Concept Mapping on the Achievement, Self-efficacy, and Attitude Toward Science of Female Eight Grade Students. Annual Colloquium Journal, VIII, Spring 2004.
<http://gse.uml.edu/gse/>

Abstract :

Having noted in her literature review an under-representation of women in sciences despite their test scores being equal to or higher than those of men, this researcher tried out an innovative practice she called Collaborative Concept Mapping for twelve weeks as part of her doctoral thesis. The purpose of the study was to determine what kind of effects this original practice had on the (1) academic achievement in sciences, (2) self-efficacy, and (3) attitudes toward sciences of eighth grade sciences students.

Description of Practice
Collaborative Concept Mapping combines two approaches: (1) small group learning, which fosters learning that reduces anxiety associated with cognitive tasks, and (2) the development of concept maps, which are graphical representations that enable students to illustrate their knowledge and show the links among what they have learned. With Collaborative Concept Mapping, students work together in small single-sex groups to construct a graphical representation of their understanding of different concepts.

Assessment
The study was conducted over a twelve-week period and involved fourteen middle school eighth grade classes at three schools in the United States. There were 274 female students and 212 male students in the experimental group and 131 female students and 111 male students in the control group.

The study was both quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative component, all of the students were asked to answer 29 questions in pre- and post-tests of achievement based on local tests and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and to fill out a questionnaire on their self-efficacy and attitudes toward sciences.

The qualitative component consisted of the students working in groups of two or three to create concept maps using vocabulary words pre-determined by the researcher. She also met informally with the teachers and some of the students in the experimental groups as well as the control groups to find out how they perceived that exercise.

Main Results
Quantitative analysis has shown that the female students in the experimental group scored better in terms of sciences achievement than the female students in the control group. However, the male student experimental group outperformed the female experimental group in this regard. The informal interviews have revealed that cooperation seemed to play a greater role in the achievement process of the female students than that of the male students. The other aspects studied, i.e. self-efficacy in sciences, which showed no significant difference in all groups, and attitude toward sciences, which remained the same in the experimental groups but scored lower in the control groups are constructed over time and would require, in the researcher's opinion, a longer study to obtain significant results.



Links :
http://gse.uml.edu/gse/

Key Words :
Gender, Sciences, Small Group Learning, Attitude toward Sciences, Secondary/High School, Self-efficacy, Concept Maps

Monitored Countries :
United States