The effects of incorporating concept mapping into computer-assisted instruction

• Main Author: Tan, Seng Chee.
• Other Authors: Wong, Philip En Hou
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Education::Educational technology::Computer assisted instruction
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/20284
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study sets out to determine the effects of incorporating concept mapping in computer-assisted instruction. There were 37 boys and 54 girls from a Special Assistance Plan school who participated in this study. The students received computer-assisted instruction on the topic "organic chemistry" for about 7.5 hours. They were randomly assigned to three different groups. In the Partial Map group, the students were given partial concept maps in the program and they were assigned the task of constructing complete concept map after each topic. In the Complete Map group, the students were provided with complete concept maps and they performed note-taking activities during the lessons. In the Menu-selection group, the students used traditional menu-selection system and they performed note-taking activities. The following tests and instruments were then administered to the students: Chemistry Achievement Test, Attitudes towards Chemistry, Attitudes towards Computer-assisted Instruction and concept mapping exercise. It was found that students in the Partial Map group performed significantly better in the Chemistry Achievement Test than the other two groups of students. The significant difference existed in the performance in answering High Order questions but not the Low Order questions. There were no significant difference in attitudes towards chemistry or attitudes towards computer-assisted instruction among the three groups of students. Where concept mapping exercise is concerned, significant difference only existed between the Partial Map group and the Menu-selection group. Significant correlation between the concept mapping ability of students and their performance in the Chemistry Achievement Test existed only in the Partial Map group and the Complete Map group. From the results, it can be concluded that concept mapping activities could have a positive effect on the student's performance in achievement test but for a short treatment period, there seem to be no effect on student's attitudes towards the subject content and towards computer-assisted instruction. Besides, in the computer-assisted instruction program, students could have benefited more by constructing concept maps themselves after each lesson than by being given complete concept maps.