Constructivist-Visual Mind Map Teaching Approach and the Quality of Students' Cognitive Structures

Autor/inn/en	Dhindsa, Harkirat S.; Makarimi-Kasim; Anderson, O. Roger
Titel	Constructivist-Visual Mind Map Teaching Approach and the Quality of Students' Cognitive Structures
Quelle	In: Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20 (2011) 2, S.186-200 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1059-0145
DOI	10.1007/s10956-010-9245-4
Schlagwörter	Constructivism (Learning); Student Attitudes; Females; Cognitive Structures; Foreign Countries; Educational Environment; Teaching Methods; Adolescents; Surveys; Science Education; Science Instruction; Brunei + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schülerverhalten; Weibliches Geschlecht; Cognitive structure; Kognitive Struktur; Ausland; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht
Abstract	This study compared the effects of a constructivist-visual mind map teaching approach (CMA) and of a traditional teaching approach (TTA) on (a) the quality and richness of students' knowledge structures and (b) TTA and CMA students' perceptions of the extent that a constructivist learning environment (CLE) was created in their classes. The sample of the study consisted of six classes (140 Form 3 students of 13-15 years old) selected from a typical coeducational school in Brunei. Three classes (40 boys and 30 girls) were taught using the TTA while three other classes (41 boys and 29 girls) used the CMA, enriched with PowerPoint presentations. After the interventions (lessons on magnetism), the students in both groups were asked to describe in writing their understanding of magnetism accrued from the lessons. Their written descriptions were analyzed using flow map analyses to assess their content knowledge and its organisation in memory as evidence of cognitive structure. The extent of CLE was measured using a published CLE survey. The results showed that the cognitive structures of the CMA students were more extensive, thematically organised and richer in interconnectedness of thoughts than those of TTA students. Moreover, CMA students also perceived their classroom learning environment to be more constructivist than their counterparts. It is, therefore, recommended that teachers consider using the CMA teaching technique to help students enrich their understanding, especially for more complex or abstract scientific content. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10