Describes using Vee maps and concept maps to guide student investigations and for student assessment. Technique focuses on following questions: what do I want to find out? what do I know? how do ideas connect? how do I go about finding answer to my question? what can I make of my findings? and what did I observe and measure? (PR)

Compares the conceptual organization of students in an integrated algebra and physical science class (SAM 9) with that of students in a discipline-specific physical science class (PSO). Analysis of students' concept maps indicates that the SAM9 students used a greater number of procedural linkages to connect mathematics and science concepts than…

An appreciation of the relationship between novice and expert knowledge frameworks may help develop an understanding of the process of transition from one to the other. Recommends the use of concept mapping. (DDR)

Interviews 9th and 10th grade students (n=13) who studied an ecology unit and analyzed tape-recorded data for changes in organization of knowledge, represented by ideational networks and the development of higher cognitive operations. Provides insights into how students developed knowledge schemata, ideational networks, and the capacity to express…

Contemporary assessment practices in science education have undergone significant changes in recent decades. The basis for these changes and the resulting new assessment practices are the subject of this two-part paper. Part 1 considers the basis of assessment that, more than 25 years ago, was driven by the assumptions of decomposability and…

A concept map is a graph in which the nodes represent concepts, the lines between the nodes represent relations, and the labels on the lines represent the nature of the relations. Concept maps have been used to assess students' knowledge structures, especially in science education. Two concept mapping techniques, constructing a map and filling in…

Discusses use of a concept map in developing, teaching, and assessing the concept of "away" (as indicated by physical/chemical changes or changes in energy/human perception). A copy of the map and an activity (using a flashbulb) to get children thinking about what it means to throw something away are included. (JM)

Reviews five methods of representing cognitive structures: (1) free word association; (2) controlled word association; (3) tree construction; (4) concept map; and (5) flow map. Discusses the applications as well as the limitations of these methods by comparing the types of analysis that are generated. (Contains 37 references.) (Author/YDS)

Seven fifth-graders developed concept maps depicting their knowledge of meat product development. Despite their rural background, they lacked understanding of agriculture concepts and had mixed knowledge of agricultural literacy benchmarks concerning food products. Their language did not reflect scientific terminology in the benchmarks. (Contains…

Differences in the status of ontological categories on the concept maps of secondary-, undergraduate- and graduate-level chemistry students were analyzed with the "Pathfinder" scaling algorithm and multidimensional scaling. Results indicate differences among groups in the structural significance of abstract process-related nodes and…

Presents a futures wheel as a teaching tool that can be used to analyze science-related social issues. Provides an example to explain the development of the wheel. Lists topics that can be analyzed using the futures wheel. (YDS)

Focuses on students' ability to explain their ideas in writing who were able to demonstrate a high level of scientific concept understanding during discussion. Indicates that scaffolding the writing process both at the sentence level and the text level facilitates an improvement in the expression of scientific knowledge. (Contains 14 references.)…

Investigates the effects of web-based instructional materials on students' understanding of chemical concepts. Uses interviews with students, concept mapping, and a free-response survey for the study. (YDS)

Teaching science in middle school is both rewarding and demanding. Creating an exciting learning environment with a rich science curriculum that engages all students is challenging enough. Monitoring the progress of as many as 150 individual students and knowing that they understand the science concepts we are teaching can be overwhelming. How can…

Educationalists experience difficulties with the construction of competence maps that describe final attainment levels of educational programs. Web-based support was developed with three supportive aids: A construction kit, a phenomenarium, and an information bank. Each supportive aid was expected to improve perceived process and product quality…