Sample records for scoring concept maps

  1. Student-Centered Reliability, Concurrent Validity and Instructional Sensitivity in Scoring of Students' Concept Maps in a University Science Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Kilic, Ziya

    2004-01-01

    Student-centered approach of scoring the concept maps consisted of three elements namely symbol system, individual portfolio and scoring scheme. We scored student-constructed concept maps based on 5 concept map criteria: validity of concepts, adequacy of propositions, significance of cross-links, relevancy of examples, and interconnectedness. With…

  2. Determining the Exchangeability of Concept Map and Problem-Solving Essay Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollenbeck, Keith; Twyman, Todd; Tindal, Gerald

    2006-01-01

    This study investigated the score exchangeability of concept maps with problem-solving essays. Of interest was whether sixth-grade students' concept maps predicted their scores on essay responses that used concept map content. Concept maps were hypothesized to be alternatives to performance assessments for content-area domain knowledge in science.…

  3. Using Generalizability Theory to Examine Different Concept Map Scoring Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cetin, Bayram; Guler, Nese; Sarica, Rabia

    2016-01-01

    Problem Statement: In addition to being teaching tools, concept maps can be used as effective assessment tools. The use of concept maps for assessment has raised the issue of scoring them. Concept maps generated and used in different ways can be scored via various methods. Holistic and relational scoring methods are two of them. Purpose of the…

  4. Relationship of students' conceptual representations and problem-solving abilities in acid-base chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powers, Angela R.

    2000-10-01

    This study explored the relationship between secondary chemistry students' conceptual representations of acid-base chemistry, as shown in student-constructed concept maps, and their ability to solve acid-base problems, represented by their score on an 18-item paper and pencil test, the Acid-Base Concept Assessment (ABCA). The ABCA, consisting of both multiple-choice and short-answer items, was originally designed using a question-type by subtopic matrix, validated by a panel of experts, and refined through pilot studies and factor analysis to create the final instrument. The concept map task included a short introduction to concept mapping, a prototype concept map, a practice concept-mapping activity, and the instructions for the acid-base concept map task. The instruments were administered to chemistry students at two high schools; 108 subjects completed both instruments for this study. Factor analysis of ABCA results indicated that the test was unifactorial for these students, despite the intention to create an instrument with multiple "question-type" scales. Concept maps were scored both holistically and by counting valid concepts. The two approaches were highly correlated (r = 0.75). The correlation between ABCA score and concept-map score was 0.29 for holistically-scored concept maps and 0.33 for counted-concept maps. Although both correlations were significant, they accounted for only 8.8 and 10.2% of variance in ABCA scores, respectively. However, when the reliability of the instruments used is considered, more than 20% of the variance in ABCA scores may be explained by concept map scores. MANOVAs for ABCA and concept map scores by instructor, student gender, and year in school showed significant differences for both holistic and counted concept-map scores. Discriminant analysis revealed that the source of these differences was the instruction variable. Significant differences between classes receiving different instruction were found in the frequency of concepts listed by students for 9 of 10 concepts evaluated. Mean ABCA scores did not differ significantly between the two instruction groups. The results of this study failed to provide evidence of conceptual distinctions among different "types" of problem-solving items. The results suggested that several factors influence success in chemistry problem solving, including concept knowledge and organization. Further research into the nature of chemistry problems and problem solving is recommended.

  5. Critical thinking in graduate medical education: A role for concept mapping assessment?

    PubMed

    West, D C; Pomeroy, J R; Park, J K; Gerstenberger, E A; Sandoval, J

    2000-09-06

    Tools to assess the evolving conceptual framework of physicians-in-training are limited, despite their critical importance to physicians' evolving clinical expertise. Concept mapping assessment (CMA) enables teachers to view students' organization of their knowledge at various points in training. To assess whether CMA reflects expected differences and changes in the conceptual framework of resident physicians, whether concept maps can be scored reliably, and how well CMA scores relate to the results of standard in-training examination. A group of 21 resident physicians (9 first-year and 12 second- and third-year residents) from a university-based pediatric training program underwent concept map training, drew a preinstruction concept map about seizures, completed an education course on seizures, and then drew a postinstruction map. Maps were scored independently by 3 raters using a standardized method. The study was conducted in May and June 1999. Preinstruction map total scores and subscores in 4 categories compared with postinstruction map scores; map scores of second- and third-year residents compared with first-year residents; and interrater correlation of map scores. Total CMA scores increased after instruction from a mean (SD) preinstruction map score of 429 (119) to a mean postinstruction map score of 516 (196) (P =.03). Second- and third-year residents scored significantly higher than first-year residents before instruction (mean [SD] score of 472 [116] vs 371 [102], respectively; P =.04), but not after instruction (mean [SD] scores, 561 [203] vs 456 [179], respectively; P =.16). Second- and third-year residents had greater preinstruction map complexity as measured by cross-link score (P =.01) than first-year residents. The CMA score had a weak to no correlation with the American Board of Pediatrics In-training Examination score (r = 0.10-0.54). Interrater correlation of map scoring ranged from weak to moderate for the preinstruction map (r = 0.51-0.69) and moderate to strong for the postinstruction map (r = 0.74-0.88). Our data provide preliminary evidence that concept mapping assessment reflects expected differences and change in the conceptual framework of resident physicians. Concept mapping assessment and standardized testing may measure different cognitive domains. JAMA. 2000;284:1105-1110

  6. Using concept maps to describe undergraduate students’ mental model in microbiology course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamdiyati, Y.; Sudargo, F.; Redjeki, S.; Fitriani, A.

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this research was to describe students’ mental model in a mental model based-microbiology course using concept map as assessment tool. Respondents were 5th semester of undergraduate students of Biology Education of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. The mental modelling instrument used was concept maps. Data were taken on Bacteria sub subject. A concept map rubric was subsequently developed with a maximum score of 4. Quantitative data was converted into a qualitative one to determine mental model level, namely: emergent = score 1, transitional = score 2, close to extended = score 3, and extended = score 4. The results showed that mental model level on bacteria sub subject before the implementation of mental model based-microbiology course was at the transitional level. After implementation of mental model based-microbiology course, mental model was at transitional level, close to extended, and extended. This indicated an increase in the level of students’ mental model after the implementation of mental model based-microbiology course using concept map as assessment tool.

  7. Effects of the use of thematic organizers in conjunction with concept mapping on learning, misconceptions, and retention in middle school science class

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keown, Sandra L.

    This study was devised to determine effects of the use of interactive thematic organizers and concept maps in middle school science classes during a unit study on minerals. The design, a pretest-posttest control group, consisted of matched groups (three experimental groups and one comparison group). It also included a student survey assessing qualitative aspects of the investigation. The 67 6th-grade students and one science teacher who participated in the study were from an independent K-12 school. Students represented a normal, well-distributed range of abilities. Group I (control) proceeded with their usual method of studying a unit---reading aloud the text and answering workbook questions. Group II worked with interactive thematic organizers, designed to activate prior knowledge and help students make inferences about target concepts in three treatments. Group III created three interactive concept maps, which represented both understandings and misconceptions. Concept maps were reviewed and repaired as students completed each treatment. Group IV participated in both thematic organizer and concept map treatments. Statistical analyses were determined through a pretest and a delayed recall posttest essay for all four groups. Two scores were assigned---one quantitative raw score of correct explicit answers and one rubric score based on the quality of interpretive responses. Group II also received scores for thematic organizer responses. Group III received rubric scores for concept maps. Group IV received all possible scores. Paired t-tests reported comparisons of scores across the treatment groups. A linear regression indicated whether or not concept map misconceptions affected posttest scores. Finally, an ANCOVA reported statistical significance across the four treatment groups. Findings of data analysis indicated statistically significant improvement in posttest scores among students in the three experimental groups. Students who participated in both treatments represented the highest scores among the four groups. Results of the ANCOVA indicated there was statistically significant difference in scores among the four treatments. Recommendations were made to further investigate development of interactive thematic organizers with student-chosen hyperlinks to concepts, as well as a recommendation that researchers investigate teacher understandings of interpretive purpose and form in the creation of thematic organizers.

  8. The comparative effect of individually-generated vs. collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on science concept learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwon, So Young

    Using a quasi-experimental design, the researcher investigated the comparative effects of individually-generated and collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on middle school science concept learning. Qualitative data were analyzed to explain quantitative findings. One hundred sixty-one students (74 boys and 87 girls) in eight, seventh grade science classes at a middle school in Southeast Texas completed the entire study. Using prior science performance scores to assure equivalence of student achievement across groups, the researcher assigned the teacher's classes to one of the three experimental groups. The independent variable, group, consisted of three levels: 40 students in a control group, 59 students trained to individually generate concept maps on computers, and 62 students trained to collaboratively generate concept maps on computers. The dependent variables were science concept learning as demonstrated by comprehension test scores, and quality of concept maps created by students in experimental groups as demonstrated by rubric scores. Students in the experimental groups received concept mapping training and used their newly acquired concept mapping skills to individually or collaboratively construct computer-based concept maps during study time. The control group, the individually-generated concept mapping group, and the collaboratively-generated concept mapping group had equivalent learning experiences for 50 minutes during five days, excepting that students in a control group worked independently without concept mapping activities, students in the individual group worked individually to construct concept maps, and students in the collaborative group worked collaboratively to construct concept maps during their study time. Both collaboratively and individually generated computer-based concept mapping had a positive effect on seventh grade middle school science concept learning but neither strategy was more effective than the other. However, the students who collaboratively generated concept maps created significantly higher quality concept maps than those who individually generated concept maps. The researcher concluded that the concept mapping software, Inspiration(TM), fostered construction of students' concept maps individually or collaboratively for science learning and helped students capture their evolving creative ideas and organize them for meaningful learning. Students in both the individual and the collaborative concept mapping groups had positive attitudes toward concept mapping using Inspiration(TM) software.

  9. The effects of three concept mapping strategies on seventh-grade students' science achievement at an urban middle school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dosanjh, Navdeep Kaur

    2011-12-01

    There is great concern over students' poor science achievement in the United States. Due to the lack of science achievement, students are not pursing science related careers resulting in an increase in outsourcing to other countries. Learning strategies such as concept mapping may ameliorate this situation by providing students with tools that encourage meaningful learning. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effects of three concept mapping learning strategies (concept identifying, proposition identifying, student generated) on urban middle school students' understanding of the circulatory system. Three intact classes of seventh-grade students were assigned to one of the three concept mapping strategies. The students were given a pretest on the circulatory system then learned and used their respective concept mapping strategies while learning about the circulatory system. At the conclusion of the study, students' science achievement was measured by performance on an achievement test and rubric scores of their respective concept identifying, proposition identifying, and student generated concept maps. The results of the study suggest that all three of the concept mapping strategies are effective in increasing students' science achievement. Additionally, the moderate significant correlations between the posttest and concept map scores of the current study established that concept maps are a useful measure of student knowledge. Lastly, the results of the current study also suggest that the concept identifying mapping strategy may be a useful scaffold in instructing students how to develop student generated concept maps.

  10. The longitudinal effect of concept map teaching on critical thinking of nursing students.

    PubMed

    Lee, Weillie; Chiang, Chi-Hua; Liao, I-Chen; Lee, Mei-Li; Chen, Shiah-Lian; Liang, Tienli

    2013-10-01

    Concept map is a useful cognitive tool for enhancing a student's critical thinking by encouraging students to process information deeply for understanding. However, there is limited understanding of longitudinal effects of concept map teaching on students' critical thinking. The purpose of the study was to investigate the growth and the other factors influencing the development of critical thinking in response to concept map as an interventional strategy for nursing students in a two-year registered nurse baccalaureate program. The study was a quasi-experimental and longitudinal follow-up design. A convenience sample was drawn from a university in central Taiwan. Data were collected at different time points at the beginning of each semester using structured questionnaires including Critical Thinking Scale and Approaches to Learning and Studying. The intervention of concept map teaching was given at the second semester in the Medical-Surgical Nursing course. The results of the findings revealed student started with a mean critical thinking score of 41.32 and decreased at a rate of 0.42 over time, although not significant. After controlling for individual characteristics, the final model revealed that the experimental group gained a higher critical thinking score across time than the control group. The best predictive variables of initial status in critical thinking were without clinical experience and a higher pre-test score. The growth in critical thinking was predicted best by a lower pre-test score, and lower scores on surface approach and organized study. Our study suggested that concept map is a useful teaching strategy to enhance student critical thinking. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Exploring physics concepts among novice teachers through CMAP tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suprapto, N.; Suliyanah; Prahani, B. K.; Jauhariyah, M. N. R.; Admoko, S.

    2018-03-01

    Concept maps are graphical tools for organising, elaborating and representing knowledge. Through Cmap tools software, it can be explored the understanding and the hierarchical structuring of physics concepts among novice teachers. The software helps physics teachers indicated a physics context, focus questions, parking lots, cross-links, branching, hierarchy, and propositions. By using an exploratory quantitative study, a total 13-concept maps with different physics topics created by novice physics teachers were analysed. The main differences of scoring between lecturer and peer-teachers’ scoring were also illustrated. The study offered some implications, especially for physics educators to determine the hierarchical structure of the physics concepts, to construct a physics focus question, and to see how a concept in one domain of knowledge represented on the map is related to a concept in another domain shown on the map.

  12. Identifying UMLS concepts from ECG Impressions using KnowledgeMap

    PubMed Central

    Denny, Joshua C.; Spickard, Anderson; Miller, Randolph A; Schildcrout, Jonathan; Darbar, Dawood; Rosenbloom, S. Trent; Peterson, Josh F.

    2005-01-01

    Electrocardiogram (ECG) impressions represent a wealth of medical information for potential decision support and drug-effect discovery. Much of this information is inaccessible to automated methods in the free-text portion of the ECG report. We studied the application of the KnowledgeMap concept identifier (KMCI) to map Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) concepts from ECG impressions. ECGs were processed by KMCI and the results scored for accuracy by multiple raters. Reviewers also recorded unidentified concepts through the scoring interface. Overall, KMCI correctly identified 1059 out of 1171 concepts for a recall of 0.90. Precision, indicating the proportion of ECG concepts correctly identified, was 0.94. KMCI was particularly effective at identifying ECG rhythms (330/333), perfusion changes (65/66), and noncardiac medical concepts (11/11). In conclusion, KMCI is an effective method for mapping ECG impressions to UMLS concepts. PMID:16779029

  13. Concept mapping: Impact on content and organization of technical writing in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conklin, Elaine

    The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the relationship between concept mapping and the content and organization of technical writing of ninth grade biology students. All students in the study completed a prewriting assessment. The experimental group received concept map instruction while the control group performed alternate tasks. After instruction, both groups completed the postwriting assessment and mean differences were compared using the t statistic for independent measures. Additionally, scores on the concept map were correlated to the scores on the postwriting assessment using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Finally, attitudes toward using concept mapping as a prewriting strategy were analyzed using the t statistic for repeated measures. Concept mapping significantly improved the depth of content; however, no statistical significance was detected for organization. Students had a significantly positive change in attitude toward using concept mapping to plan a writing assessment, organize information, and think creatively. The findings indicated concept mapping had a positive effect on the students' abilities to select concepts appropriate to respond to a writing prompt, integrate facts into complete thoughts and ideas, and apply it in novel situations. Concept maps appeared to facilitate learning how to process information and transform it into expository writing. Sustained practice in designing concept maps may influence organization as well as content. Developing a systematic approach to synthesize well-organized and coherent arguments in response to a writing task is an invaluable communication skill that has implications for the learner across disciplines and prepares them for higher education and the workforce.

  14. Learning style preference and student aptitude for concept maps.

    PubMed

    Kostovich, Carol T; Poradzisz, Michele; Wood, Karen; O'Brien, Karen L

    2007-05-01

    Acknowledging that individuals' preferences for learning vary, faculty in an undergraduate nursing program questioned whether a student's learning style is an indicator of aptitude in developing concept maps. The purpose of this research was to describe the relationship between nursing students' learning style preference and aptitude for concept maps. The sample included 120 undergraduate students enrolled in the adult health nursing course. Students created one concept map and completed two instruments: the Learning Style Survey and the Concept Map Survey. Data included Learning Style Survey scores, grade for the concept map, and grade for the adult health course. No significant difference was found between learning style preference and concept map grades. Thematic analysis of the qualitative survey data yielded further insight into students' preferences for creating concept maps.

  15. Development of Geostatistical Models to Estimate CO2 Storage Resource in Sedimentary Geologic Formations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popova, Olga H.

    Dental hygiene students must embody effective critical thinking skills in order to provide evidence-based comprehensive patient care. The problem addressed in this study it was not known if and to what extent concept mapping and reflective journaling activities embedded in a curriculum over a 4-week period, impacted the critical thinking skills of 22 first and second-year dental hygiene students attending a community college in the Midwest. The overarching research questions were: what is the effect of concept mapping, and what is the effect of reflective journaling on the level of critical thinking skills of first and second year dental hygiene students? This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) assessed students' mean scores of critical thinking on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) pretest and posttest for the concept mapping and reflective journaling treatment groups. The results of the study found an increase in CCTST posttest scores with the use of both concept mapping and reflective journaling. However, the increase in scores was not found to be statistically significant. Hence, this study identified concept mapping using Ausubel's assimilation theory and reflective journaling incorporating Johns's revision of Carper's patterns of knowing as potential instructional strategies and theoretical models to enhance undergraduate students' critical thinking skills. More research is required in this area to draw further conclusions. Keywords: Critical thinking, critical thinking development, critical thinking skills, instructional strategies, concept mapping, reflective journaling, dental hygiene, college students.

  16. The effects of collaborative concept mapping on the achievement, science self-efficacy and attitude toward science of female eighth-grade students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledger, Antoinette Frances

    This study sought to examine whether collaborative concept mapping would affect the achievement, science self-efficacy and attitude toward science of female eighth grade science students. The research questions are: (1) Will the use of collaborative concept mapping affect the achievement of female students in science? (2) Will the use of collaborative concept mapping affect the science self-efficacy of female students? (3) Will the use of collaborative concept mapping affect the attitudes of females toward science? The study was quasi-experimental and utilized a pretest-posttest design for both experimental and control groups. Eighth grade female and male students from three schools in a large northeastern school district participated in this study. The achievement test consisted of 10 multiple choice and two open-response questions and used questions from state-wide and national assessments as well as teacher-constructed items. A 29 item Likert type instrument (McMillan, 1992) was administered to measure science self-efficacy and attitude toward science. The study was of 12 weeks duration. During the study, experimental group students were asked to perform collaborative concept map construction in single sex dyads using specific terms designated by the classroom teacher and the researcher. During classroom visitations, student perceptions of collaborative concept mapping were collected and were used to provide insight into the results of the quantitative data analysis. Data from the pre and posttest instruments were analyzed for both experimental and control groups using t-tests. Additionally, the three teachers were interviewed and their perceptions of the study were also used to gain insight into the results of the study. The analysis of data showed that experimental group females showed significantly higher gains in achievement than control group females. An additional analysis of data showed experimental group males showed significantly greater gains in achievement than experimental group females. The analysis of science self-efficacy data showed that neither experimental nor control group females increased their scores pre to posttest, both showed small decreases in scores. However, the posttest scores of the experimental group females were significantly higher than the posttest scores of the control group females. The analysis of the attitude toward science survey data showed that the scores of the experimental group females did not change from pre to posttest. However, scores of the control group females declined from pre to posttest. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

  17. Care plans using concept maps and their effects on the critical thinking dispositions of nursing students.

    PubMed

    Atay, Selma; Karabacak, Ukke

    2012-06-01

    It is expected that nursing education improves abilities of students in solving problems, decision making and critical thinking in different circumstances. This study was performed to analyse the effects of care plans prepared using concept maps on the critical thinking dispositions of students. An experimental group and a control group were made up of a total of 80 freshman and sophomore students from the nursing department of a health school. The study used a pre-test post-test control group design. The critical thinking dispositions of the groups were measured using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. In addition, the care plans prepared by the experimental group students were evaluated using the criteria for evaluating care plans with concept maps. T-test was used in analysing the data. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the total and sub-scale pre-test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were also significant differences in the total and sub-scale post-test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were significant differences between concept map care plan evaluation criteria mean scores of the experimental students. In the light of these findings, it could be argued that the concept mapping strategy improves critical thinking skills of students. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  18. Interrater reliability of the mind map assessment rubric in a cohort of medical students.

    PubMed

    D'Antoni, Anthony V; Zipp, Genevieve Pinto; Olson, Valerie G

    2009-04-28

    Learning strategies are thinking tools that students can use to actively acquire information. Examples of learning strategies include mnemonics, charts, and maps. One strategy that may help students master the tsunami of information presented in medical school is the mind map learning strategy. Currently, there is no valid and reliable rubric to grade mind maps and this may contribute to their underutilization in medicine. Because concept maps and mind maps engage learners similarly at a metacognitive level, a valid and reliable concept map assessment scoring system was adapted to form the mind map assessment rubric (MMAR). The MMAR can assess mind map depth based upon concept-links, cross-links, hierarchies, examples, pictures, and colors. The purpose of this study was to examine interrater reliability of the MMAR. This exploratory study was conducted at a US medical school as part of a larger investigation on learning strategies. Sixty-six (N = 66) first-year medical students were given a 394-word text passage followed by a 30-minute presentation on mind mapping. After the presentation, subjects were again given the text passage and instructed to create mind maps based upon the passage. The mind maps were collected and independently scored using the MMAR by 3 examiners. Interrater reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistic. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 12.0 (Chicago, IL). Analysis of the mind maps revealed the following: concept-links ICC = .05 (95% CI, -.42 to .38), cross-links ICC = .58 (95% CI, .37 to .73), hierarchies ICC = .23 (95% CI, -.15 to .50), examples ICC = .53 (95% CI, .29 to .69), pictures ICC = .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91), colors ICC = .73 (95% CI, .59 to .82), and total score ICC = .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91). The high ICC value for total mind map score indicates strong MMAR interrater reliability. Pictures and colors demonstrated moderate to strong interrater reliability. We conclude that the MMAR may be a valid and reliable tool to assess mind maps in medicine. However, further research on the validity and reliability of the MMAR is necessary.

  19. Interrater reliability of the mind map assessment rubric in a cohort of medical students

    PubMed Central

    D'Antoni, Anthony V; Zipp, Genevieve Pinto; Olson, Valerie G

    2009-01-01

    Background Learning strategies are thinking tools that students can use to actively acquire information. Examples of learning strategies include mnemonics, charts, and maps. One strategy that may help students master the tsunami of information presented in medical school is the mind map learning strategy. Currently, there is no valid and reliable rubric to grade mind maps and this may contribute to their underutilization in medicine. Because concept maps and mind maps engage learners similarly at a metacognitive level, a valid and reliable concept map assessment scoring system was adapted to form the mind map assessment rubric (MMAR). The MMAR can assess mind map depth based upon concept-links, cross-links, hierarchies, examples, pictures, and colors. The purpose of this study was to examine interrater reliability of the MMAR. Methods This exploratory study was conducted at a US medical school as part of a larger investigation on learning strategies. Sixty-six (N = 66) first-year medical students were given a 394-word text passage followed by a 30-minute presentation on mind mapping. After the presentation, subjects were again given the text passage and instructed to create mind maps based upon the passage. The mind maps were collected and independently scored using the MMAR by 3 examiners. Interrater reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistic. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 12.0 (Chicago, IL). Results Analysis of the mind maps revealed the following: concept-links ICC = .05 (95% CI, -.42 to .38), cross-links ICC = .58 (95% CI, .37 to .73), hierarchies ICC = .23 (95% CI, -.15 to .50), examples ICC = .53 (95% CI, .29 to .69), pictures ICC = .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91), colors ICC = .73 (95% CI, .59 to .82), and total score ICC = .86 (95% CI, .79 to .91). Conclusion The high ICC value for total mind map score indicates strong MMAR interrater reliability. Pictures and colors demonstrated moderate to strong interrater reliability. We conclude that the MMAR may be a valid and reliable tool to assess mind maps in medicine. However, further research on the validity and reliability of the MMAR is necessary. PMID:19400964

  20. The effects of using concept mapping as an artifact to engender metacognitive thinking in first-year medical students' problem-based learning discussions: A mixed-methods investigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shoop, Glenda Hostetter

    Attention in medical education is turning toward instruction that not only focuses on knowledge acquisition, but on developing the medical students' clinical problem-solving skills, and their ability to critically think through complex diseases. Metacognition is regarded as an important consideration in how we teach medical students these higher-order, critical thinking skills. This study used a mixed-methods research design to investigate if concept mapping as an artifact may engender metacognitive thinking in the medical student population. Specifically the purpose of the study is twofold: (1) to determine if concept mapping, functioning as an artifact during problem-based learning, improves learning as measured by scores on test questions; and (2) to explore if the process of concept mapping alters the problem-based learning intragroup discussion in ways that show medical students are engaged in metacognitive thinking. The results showed that students in the problem-based learning concept-mapping groups used more metacognitive thinking patterns than those in the problem-based learning discussion-only group, particularly in the monitoring component. These groups also engaged in a higher level of cognitive thinking associated with reasoning through mechanisms-of-action and breaking down complex biochemical and physiologic principals. The students disclosed in focus-group interviews that concept mapping was beneficial to help them understand how discrete pieces of information fit together in a bigger structure of knowledge. They also stated that concept mapping gave them some time to think through these concepts in a larger conceptual framework. There was no significant difference in the exam-question scores between the problem-based learning concept-mapping groups and the problem-based learning discussion-only group.

  1. Use of concept mapping as a facilitative tool to promote learning in pharmacology.

    PubMed

    Qadir, Farida; Zehra, Tabassum; Khan, Imrana

    2011-08-01

    To assess whether students find concept mapping a useful learning methodology to conceptualize and organize topics studied in CNS module of Pharmacology; and to evaluate whether addition of concept mapping assignment could help to improve examination scores. An analytical study. College of Dentistry, Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan, from March to May 2009. A class of 50 BDS students was recruited for the study. Two randomly selected groups of 12 students each, prepared concept maps in topics from CNS pharmacology which were displayed and discussed during tutorial sessions. The other two groups (n = 25) following the traditional teaching methodology, served as controls. Scores from best choice questions and short essay questions were compared between the investigational and control groups using the student's t-test with significance at p < 0.05. Feedback obtained after completion of the study was evaluated as percent response. One-best-choice test of the control group showed a mean grade of 57.1 ± 16.7 vs. test group mean of 58.8 ± 13. For the short essay questions, control group obtained a mean of 52.3 ± 18.8 vs. test group mean grade of 53.8 ± 22.5. Both results were not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, feedback about concept mapping showed that the technique helped the students to conceptualize difficult topics in CNS pharmacology (86.36%). Concept mapping was particularly beneficial in preparing for exams as it provided a quick overview of the entire subject (68.68%). Students found concept mapping as a useful pedagogical tool which could potentially be used to acquire meaningful learning in Pharmacology as a supplement to traditional teaching techniques. It was not found beneficial in improving examination grades probably because standard examinations and concept mapping measure different cognitive domains.

  2. Use of concept maps to promote electrocardiogram diagnosis learning in undergraduate medical students

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Ruimin; Yang, Xiaoyan; Xing, Bangrong; Zou, Zihao; Zheng, Zhenda; Xie, Xujing; Zhu, Jieming; Chen, Lin; Zhou, Hanjian

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping is an effective method in teaching and learning, however this strategy has not been evaluated among electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis learning. This study explored the use of concept maps to assist ECG study, and sought to analyze whether this method could improve undergraduate students’ ECG interpretation skills. There were 126 undergraduate medical students who were randomly selected and assigned to two groups, group A (n = 63) and group B (n = 63). Group A was taught to use concept maps to learn ECG diagnosis, while group B was taught by traditional methods. After the course, all of the students were assessed by having an ECG diagnostic test. Quantitative data which comprised test score and ECG features completion index was compared by using the unpaired Student’s t-test between the two groups. Further, a feedback questionnaire on concept maps used was also completed by group A, comments were evaluated by a five-point Likert scale. The test scores of ECGs interpretation was 7.36 ± 1.23 in Group A and 6.12 ± 1.39 in Group B. A significant advantage (P = 0.018) of concept maps was observed in ECG interpretation accuracy. No difference in the average ECG features completion index was observed between Group A (66.75 ± 15.35%) and Group B (62.93 ± 13.17%). According qualitative analysis, majority of students accepted concept maps as a helpful tool. Difficult to learn at the beginning and time consuming are the two problems in using this method, nevertheless most of the students indicated to continue using it. Concept maps could be a useful pedagogical tool in enhancing undergraduate medical students’ ECG interpretation skills. Furthermore, students indicated a positive attitude to it, and perceived it as a resource for learning. PMID:26221331

  3. A Comparative Study of Hawaii Middle School Science Student Academic Achievement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Askew Cain, Peggy

    The problem was middle-grade students with specific learning disabilities (SWDs) in reading comprehension perform less well than their peers on standardized assessments. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the effect of electronic concept maps on reading comprehension of eighth grade students with SWD reading comprehension in a Hawaii middle school Grade 8 science class on the island of Oahu. The target population consisted of Grade 8 science students for school year 2015-2016. The sampling method was a purposeful sampling with a final sample size of 338 grade 8 science students. De-identified archival records of grade 8 Hawaii standardized science test scores were analyzed using a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. The finding for hypothesis 1 indicated a significant difference in student achievement between SWDs and SWODs as measured by Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in science scores (p < 0.05), and for hypothesis 2, a significant difference in instructional modality for SWDs who used concept maps and does who did not as measured by the Hawaii State Assessment in science (p < 0.05). The implications of the findings (a) SWDs performed less well in science achievement than their peers and consequently, and (b) SWODs appeared to remember greater degrees of science knowledge, and answered more questions correctly than SWDs as a result of reading comprehension. Recommendations for practice were for educational leadership and noted: (a) teachers should practice using concept maps with SWDs as a specific reading strategy to support reading comprehension in science classes, (b) involve a strong focus on vocabulary building and concept building during concept map construction because the construction of concept maps sometimes requires frontloading of vocabulary, and (c) model for teachers how concept maps are created and to explain their educational purpose as a tool for learning. Recommendations for future research were to conduct (a) a quantitative comparative study between groups for academic achievement of subtests mean scores of SWDs and SWODs in physical science, earth science, and space science, and (b) a quantitative correlation study to examine relationships and predictive values for academic achievement of SWDs and concept map integration on standardized science assessments.

  4. Knowledge maps: a tool for online assessment with automated feedback.

    PubMed

    Ho, Veronica W; Harris, Peter G; Kumar, Rakesh K; Velan, Gary M

    2018-12-01

    In higher education, most assessments or examinations comprise either multiple-choice items or open-ended questions such as modified essay questions (MEQs). Online concept and knowledge maps are potential tools for assessment, which might emphasize meaningful, integrated understanding of phenomena. We developed an online knowledge-mapping assessment tool, which provides automated feedback on student-submitted maps. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the potential utility of online knowledge mapping as a tool for automated assessment by comparing the scores generated by the software with manual grading of a MEQ on the same topic for a cohort of first-year medical students. In addition, an online questionnaire was used to gather students' perceptions of the tool. Map items were highly discriminating between students of differing knowledge of the topic overall. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between map scores and MEQ scores, and responses to the questionnaire regarding use of knowledge maps for assessment were overwhelmingly positive. These results suggest that knowledge maps provide a similar indication of students' understanding of a topic as a MEQ, with the advantage of instant, consistent computer grading and time savings for educators. Online concept and knowledge maps could be a useful addition to the assessment repertoire in higher education.

  5. Use of the concept mapping in teaching during a medical rotation of interns: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Kwas, Hamida; Ghédira, Habib

    2017-12-01

    Concept mapping is an excellent learning toolallowing to stimulate active learning.For this reason, the concept mapping is currently used increasingly in the medical and paramedical field. The aim of our study is to determine the contribution of teaching of medical interns by the concept mapping. Fourteen students enrolled at the same time in a medical rotation in Pulmonology were recruited for this exploratory study. Interns are divided into two groups (A and B).Both groups are taught by the clinical case method, illustrated by a concept mapping for group A interns. The evolution of the knowledge accuracy at post-testing has been greater in the group taught by the method of concept mapping: the number of correct responses increased in all participants of group A versus only 4 of group B. All students taught by concept mapping had at the post-test a note higher than or equal to 10/20 versus only three of the group taught by the method without concept map. The average score was 13 (11-15) in group A versus 10.28 (6-14) in group B. We emphasize the use of concept mapping in teaching especially in the faculty of medicine and we encourage clinicians to use this method in teaching interns in the hospital.

  6. Collaborative Concept Mapping and Critical Thinking in Fourth-Year Medical Students.

    PubMed

    Bixler, G Michael; Brown, Amy; Way, David; Ledford, Cynthia; Mahan, John D

    2015-08-01

    To test the hypothesis that small group concept mapping of 4 core neonatal topics as part of a fourth-year allopathic medical student elective would improve critical thinking (CT) as measured by the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). To describe any correlations between scores on the CCTST and the step 1 and step 2 Clinical Knowledge parts of the United States Medical Licensing Exam. Twenty-seven students participated in this pilot study during a 1-month elective. A pretest CCTST, California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), and multiple choice knowledge test (MCKT) were completed immediately before the elective began. Four weekly group sessions were held with assigned reading on each of the 4 neonatal topics. Concept mapping was performed in small groups of 4 to 6 students with a group concept map collected at the end of the exercise. A posttest CCTST and MCKT was completed after the 4 group sessions. Pre-CCTST overall score was 83.9 ± 6, and post-CCTST overall score was 85.6 ± 6.9 (P = .57). Pearson correlation of USMLE step 1 and pre-CCTST showed r(25) = .276, P = .164. Pearson correlation of USMLE step 2 CK and pre-CCTST revealed r(25) = .214, P = .482. The precourse MCKT average was 35%, and the postcourse average 50% (P ≤ .001). A recent meta-analysis confirms this is the first report of a comparison between the increasingly common CCTST and the USMLE. We confirmed that concept mapping is a valid mechanism to teach content knowledge. Although the difference in the CCTST scores was not significant, this study could serve as an important start toward development of a curriculum devoted to teaching content and improving CT. The small number of students may have prevented us from defining a significant impact. © The Author(s) 2015.

  7. Online testable concept maps: benefits for learning about the pathogenesis of disease.

    PubMed

    Ho, Veronica; Kumar, Rakesh K; Velan, Gary

    2014-07-01

    Concept maps have been used to promote meaningful learning and critical thinking. Although these are crucially important in all disciplines, evidence for the benefits of concept mapping for learning in medicine is limited. We performed a randomised crossover study to assess the benefits of online testable concept maps for learning in pathology by volunteer junior medical students. Participants (n = 65) were randomly allocated to either of two groups with equivalent mean prior academic performance, in which they were given access to either online maps or existing online resources for a 2-week block on renal disease. Groups then crossed over for a 2-week block on hepatic disease. Outcomes were assessed using timed online quizzes, which included questions unrelated to topics in the pathogenesis maps as an internal control. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate students' acceptance of the maps. In both blocks, the group with access to pathogenesis maps achieved significantly higher average scores than the control group on quiz questions related to topics covered by the maps (Block 1: p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.9; Block 2: p = 0.008, Cohen's d = 0.7). However, mean scores on unrelated questions did not differ significantly between the groups. In a third block on pancreatic disease, both groups received pathogenesis maps and collectively performed significantly better on quiz topics related to the maps than on unrelated topics (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.5). Regression analysis revealed that access to pathogenesis maps was the dominant contributor to variance in performance on map-related quiz questions. Responses to questionnaire items on pathogenesis maps were overwhelmingly positive in both groups. These results indicate that online testable pathogenesis maps are well accepted and can improve learning of concepts in pathology by medical students. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Using rule-based natural language processing to improve disease normalization in biomedical text.

    PubMed

    Kang, Ning; Singh, Bharat; Afzal, Zubair; van Mulligen, Erik M; Kors, Jan A

    2013-01-01

    In order for computers to extract useful information from unstructured text, a concept normalization system is needed to link relevant concepts in a text to sources that contain further information about the concept. Popular concept normalization tools in the biomedical field are dictionary-based. In this study we investigate the usefulness of natural language processing (NLP) as an adjunct to dictionary-based concept normalization. We compared the performance of two biomedical concept normalization systems, MetaMap and Peregrine, on the Arizona Disease Corpus, with and without the use of a rule-based NLP module. Performance was assessed for exact and inexact boundary matching of the system annotations with those of the gold standard and for concept identifier matching. Without the NLP module, MetaMap and Peregrine attained F-scores of 61.0% and 63.9%, respectively, for exact boundary matching, and 55.1% and 56.9% for concept identifier matching. With the aid of the NLP module, the F-scores of MetaMap and Peregrine improved to 73.3% and 78.0% for boundary matching, and to 66.2% and 69.8% for concept identifier matching. For inexact boundary matching, performances further increased to 85.5% and 85.4%, and to 73.6% and 73.3% for concept identifier matching. We have shown the added value of NLP for the recognition and normalization of diseases with MetaMap and Peregrine. The NLP module is general and can be applied in combination with any concept normalization system. Whether its use for concept types other than disease is equally advantageous remains to be investigated.

  9. Using Concept Maps to Monitor Knowledge Structure Changes in a Science Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cook, Leah J.

    The aim of this research is to determine what differences may exist in students' structural knowledge while using a variety of concept mapping assessments. A concept map can be used as an assessment which connects concepts in a knowledge domain. A single assessment may not be powerful enough to establish how students' new knowledge relates to prior knowledge. More research is needed to establish how various aspects of the concept mapping task influence the output of map creation by students. Using multiple concept maps and pre-instruction and post-instruction VNOS instruments during a 16-week semester, this study was designed to investigate the impact of concept map training and the impact of assessment design on the created maps. Also, this study was designed to determine what differences can be observed between expert and novice maps and if similarities and differences exist between concept maps and an open-ended assessment. Participants created individual maps and the maps were analyzed for structural complexity, overall structure, and content. The concept maps were then compared by their timing, design, and scores. The results indicate that concept mapping training does significantly impact the shape and structure complexity of the map created by students. Additionally, these data support that students should be frequently reminded of appropriate concept mapping skills and opportunities so that good mapping skills will be utilized. Changing the assessment design does appear to be able to impact the overall structure and complexity of created maps, while narrowing the content focus of the map does not necessarily restrict the overall structure or the complexity. Furthermore, significant differences in structural complexity were observed between novice and expert mappers. The fluctuations of NOS concepts identified in student created maps may suggest why some students were still confused or had incorrect conceptions of NOS, despite explicit and reflective instruction throughout the semester.

  10. The Effect of Concept Mapping-Guided Discovery Integrated Teaching Approach on Chemistry Students' Achievement and Retention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fatokun, K. V. F.; Eniayeju, P. A.

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of Concept Mapping-Guided Discovery Integrated Teaching Approach on the achievement and retention of chemistry students. The sample comprised 162 Senior Secondary two (SS 2) students drawn from two Science Schools in Nasarawa State, Central Nigeria with equivalent mean scores of 9.68 and 9.49 in their pre-test.…

  11. Influence of levels of information as presented by different technologies on students' understanding of acid, base, and ph concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakhleh, Mary B.; Krajcik, Joseph S.

    We investigated how different levels of information presented by various technologies affected secondary students' understanding of acid, base, and pH concepts. Secondary students who were selected for the study had just completed their study of acid-base chemistry. No attempt was made to provide further instruction. We analyzed changes in the understanding of individual students by constructing concept maps from the propositions that the students used in interviews conducted before and after a series of acid-base titrations. After the initial interview, students were divided into three groups. Within each group, students individually performed the same set of titrations using different technologies: chemical indicators, pH meters, and microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL). After the titrations were completed, all students were interviewed again. We found that students using MBL exhibited a larger positive shift in their concept map scores, which indicates a greater differentiation and integration of their knowledge of acids and bases. The chemical indicator students exhibited a more moderate positive shift in their concept map scores, and the pH meter students exhibited a smaller positive shift. We also found that the MBL students constructed more inappropriate links in their concept maps than the chemical indicator or pH meter students. However, we speculate that this increased number of inappropriate links indicates a high level of involvement with the technology. We therefore argue that the level of information offered by the technology affected students' understanding of the chemical concepts.Received: 24 February 1993; Revised: 21 February 1994;

  12. Empirical evidence of the effectiveness of concept mapping as a learning intervention for nuclear medicine technology students in a distance learning radiation protection and biology course.

    PubMed

    Passmore, Gregory G; Owen, Mary Anne; Prabakaran, Krishnan

    2011-12-01

    Metacognitive learning strategies are based on instructional learning theory, which promotes deep, meaningful learning. Educators in a baccalaureate-level nuclear medicine technology program demonstrated that students enrolled in an online, distance learning section of an introductory radiation protection and radiobiology course performed better when traditional instruction was supplemented with nontraditional metacognitive learning strategies. The metacognitive learning strategy that was used is best known as concept mapping. The concept map, in addition to the standard homework problem assignment and opportunity for question-answer sessions, became the template for misconception identification and remediation interactions between the instructor and the student. The control group relied on traditional homework problems and question-answer sessions alone. Because students in both the "treatment" groups (i.e., students who used concept mapping) and the control group were distance learning students, all personal communications were conducted via e-mail or telephone. The final examination of the course was used to facilitate a quantitative comparison of the performance of students who used concept mapping and the performance of students who did not use concept mapping. The results demonstrated a significantly higher median final examination score for the concept mapping group than for the non-concept mapping group (z = -2.0381, P = 0.0415), with an appropriately large effect size (2.65). Concept mapping is a cognitive learning intervention that effectively enables meaningful learning and is suitable for use in the independent learner-oriented distance learning environments used by some nuclear medicine technology programs.

  13. Clinical concept mapping: Does it improve discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students?

    PubMed

    Moattari, Marzieh; Soleimani, Sara; Moghaddam, Neda Jamali; Mehbodi, Farkhondeh

    2014-01-01

    Enhancing nursing students' critical thinking is a challenge faced by nurse educators. This study aimed at determining the effect of clinical concept mapping on discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students. In this quasi-experimental post-test only design, a convenient sample of 4(th) year nursing students (N = 32) participated. They were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group participated in a 1-day workshop on clinical concept mapping. They were also assigned to use at least two clinical concepts mapping during their clinical practice. Post-test was done using a specially designed package consisting of vignettes for measurement of 17 dimensions of critical thinking in nursing under two categories of cognitive critical thinking skills and habits of mind. They were required to write about how they would use a designated critical thinking skills or habits of mind to accomplish the nursing actions. The students' responses were evaluated based on identification of critical thinking, justification, and quality of the student's response. The mean score of both groups was compared by Mann-Whitney test using SPSS version 16.5. The results of the study revealed a significant difference between the two groups' critical thinking regarding identification, justification, and quality of responses, and overall critical thinking scores, cognitive thinking skills, and habits of mind. The two groups also differed significantly from each other in 11 out of 17 dimensions of critical thinking. Clinical concept mapping is a valuable strategy for improvement of critical thinking of nursing students. However, further studies are recommended to generalize this result to nursing students in their earlier stage of education.

  14. Experiential and Outdoor Education: The Participant Experience Shared through Mind Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jirásek, Ivo; Plevová, Irena; Jirásková, Miroslava; Dvorácková, Adéla

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes an analysis of mind maps capturing the experiences of the participants in an experiential and outdoor education course. The method of mind mapping is usually limited to a quantitative scoring analysis and comparative content analysis of concepts. As a consequence, the visual elements of the information are usually ignored, but…

  15. The impact of CmapTools utilization towards students' conceptual change on optics topic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rofiuddin, Muhammad Rifqi; Feranie, Selly

    2017-05-01

    Science teachers need to help students identify their prior ideas and modify them based on scientific knowledge. This process is called as conceptual change. One of essential tools to analyze students' conceptual change is by using concept map. Concept Maps are graphical representations of knowledge that are comprised of concepts and the relationships between them. Constructing concept map is implemented by adapting the role of technology to support learning process, as it is suitable with Educational Ministry Regulation No.68 year 2013. Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) has developed CmapTools, a client-server software for easily construct and visualize concept maps. This research aims to investigate secondary students' conceptual change after experiencing five-stage conceptual teaching model by utilizing CmapTools in learning Optics. Weak experimental method through one group pretest-posttest design is implemented in this study to collect preliminary and post concept map as qualitative data. Sample was taken purposively of 8th grade students (n= 22) at one of private schools Bandung, West Java. Conceptual change based on comparison of preliminary and post concept map construction is assessed based on rubric of concept map scoring and structure. Results shows significance conceptual change differences at 50.92 % that is elaborated into concept map element such as prepositions and hierarchical level in high category, cross links in medium category and specific examples in low category. All of the results are supported with the students' positive response towards CmapTools utilization that indicates improvement of motivation, interest, and behavior aspect towards Physics lesson.

  16. Using rock art as an alternative science pedagogy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allen, Casey D.

    College-level and seventh-grade science students were studied to understand the power of a field index, the Rock Art Stability Index (RASI), for student learning about complex biophysical environmental processes. In order to determine if the studied population was representative, 584 college and seventh-grade students undertook a concept mapping exercise after they had learned basic weathering science via in-class lecture. Of this large group, a subset of 322 college students and 13 seventh-grade students also learned RASI through a field experience involving the analysis of rock weathering associated with petroglyphs. After learning weathering through RASI, students completed another concept map. This was a college population where roughly 46% had never taken a "lab science" course and nearly 22% were from minority (non-white) populations. Analysis of student learning through the lens of actor-network theory revealed that when landscape is viewed as process (i.e. many practices), science education embodies both an alternative science philosophy and an alternative materialistic worldview. When RASI components were analyzed after only lecture, student understanding of weathering displayed little connection between weathering form and weathering process. After using RASI in the field however, nearly all students made illustrative concept maps rich in connections between weathering form and weathering process for all subcomponents of RASI. When taken as an aggregate, and measured by an average concept map score, learning increased by almost 14%, Among college minority students, the average score increase approached 23%. Among female students, the average score increase was 16%. For seventh-grade students, scores increased by nearly 36%. After testing for normalcy with Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t-tests reveal that all of these increases were highly statistically significant at p<0.001. The growth in learning weathering science by minority students, as compared to non-minority students, was also statistically significant at p<0.01. These findings reveal the power of field work through RASI to strengthen cognitive linkages between complex biophysical processes and the corresponding rock weathering forms.

  17. Clinical concept mapping: Does it improve discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students?

    PubMed Central

    Moattari, Marzieh; Soleimani, Sara; Moghaddam, Neda Jamali; Mehbodi, Farkhondeh

    2014-01-01

    Background: Enhancing nursing students’ critical thinking is a challenge faced by nurse educators. This study aimed at determining the effect of clinical concept mapping on discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental post-test only design, a convenient sample of 4th year nursing students (N = 32) participated. They were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group participated in a 1-day workshop on clinical concept mapping. They were also assigned to use at least two clinical concepts mapping during their clinical practice. Post-test was done using a specially designed package consisting of vignettes for measurement of 17 dimensions of critical thinking in nursing under two categories of cognitive critical thinking skills and habits of mind. They were required to write about how they would use a designated critical thinking skills or habits of mind to accomplish the nursing actions. The students’ responses were evaluated based on identification of critical thinking, justification, and quality of the student's response. The mean score of both groups was compared by Mann-Whitney test using SPSS version 16.5. Results: The results of the study revealed a significant difference between the two groups’ critical thinking regarding identification, justification, and quality of responses, and overall critical thinking scores, cognitive thinking skills, and habits of mind. The two groups also differed significantly from each other in 11 out of 17 dimensions of critical thinking. Conclusion: Clinical concept mapping is a valuable strategy for improvement of critical thinking of nursing students. However, further studies are recommended to generalize this result to nursing students in their earlier stage of education. PMID:24554963

  18. A Concept-Mapping Strategy for Assessing Conceptual Change in a Student-Directed, Research-Based Geoscience Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rebich, S.

    2003-12-01

    The concept mapping technique has been proposed as a method for examining the evolving nature of students' conceptualizations of scientific concepts, and promises insight into a dimension of learning different from the one accessible through more conventional classroom testing techniques. The theory behind concept mapping is based on an assumption that knowledge acquisition is accomplished through "linking" of new information to an existing knowledge framework, and that meaningful (as opposed to arbitrary or verbatim) links allow for deeper understanding and conceptual change. Reflecting this theory, concept maps are constructed as a network of related concepts connected by labeled links that illustrate the relationship between the concepts. Two concepts connected by one such link make up a "proposition", the basic element of the concept map structure. In this paper, we examine the results of a pre- and post-test assessment program for an upper-division undergraduate geography course entitled "Mock Environmental Summit," which was part of a research project on assessment. Concept mapping was identified as a potentially powerful assessment tool for this course, as more conventional tools such as multiple-choice tests did not seem to provide a reliable indication of the learning students were experiencing as a result of the student-directed research, presentations, and discussions that make up a substantial portion of the course. The assessment program began at the beginning of the course with a one-hour training session during which students were introduced to the theory behind concept mapping, provided with instructions and guidance for constructing a concept map using the CMap software developed and maintained by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition at the University of West Florida, and asked to collaboratively construct a concept map on a topic not related to the one to be assessed. This training session was followed by a 45-minute "pre-test" on the topic of global climate change, for which students were provided with a list of questions to guide their thoughts during the concept map construction. Following the pre-test, students were not exposed to further concept mapping until the end of the course, when they were asked to complete a "post-test" consisting of exactly the same task. In addition to a summary of our results, this paper presents an overview of available digital concept-mapping tools, proposed scoring techniques, and design principles to keep in mind when designing a concept-mapping assessment program. We also discuss our experience with concept map assessment, the insights it provided into the evolution in student understanding of global climate change that resulted from the course, and our ideas about the potential role of concept mapping in an overall assessment program for interdisciplinary and/or student-directed curricula.

  19. The effectiveness of concept mapping and retrieval practice as learning strategies in an undergraduate physiology course.

    PubMed

    Burdo, Joseph; O'Dwyer, Laura

    2015-12-01

    Concept mapping and retrieval practice are both educational methods that have separately been reported to provide significant benefits for learning in diverse settings. Concept mapping involves diagramming a hierarchical representation of relationships between distinct pieces of information, whereas retrieval practice involves retrieving information that was previously coded into memory. The relative benefits of these two methods have never been tested against each other in a classroom setting. Our study was designed to investigate whether or not concept mapping or retrieval practice produced a significant learning benefit in an undergraduate physiology course as measured by exam performance and, if so, was the benefit of one method significantly greater than the other. We found that there was a trend toward increased exam scores for the retrieval practice group compared with both the control group and concept mapping group, and that trend achieved statistical significance for one of the four module exams in the course. We also found that women performed statistically better than men on the module exam that contained a substantial amount of material relating to female reproductive physiology. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

  20. The effectiveness of concept mapping on development of critical thinking in nursing education: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Yue, Meng; Zhang, Meng; Zhang, Chunmei; Jin, Changde

    2017-05-01

    As an essential skill in daily clinical nursing practice, critical thinking ability has been an important objective in nursing education. Concept mapping enables nursing students connect new information to existing knowledge and integrates interdisciplinary knowledge. However, there is a lack of evidence related to critical thinking ability and concept mapping in nursing education. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of concept mapping in developing critical thinking in nursing education. This systematic review was reported in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A search was conducted in PubMed, Web of science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing concept mapping and traditional teaching method were retrieved. Data were collected by two reviewers according to the data extraction tables. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by other two reviewers. The results of meta-analysis were presented using mean difference (MD). Thirteen trials were summarized in the systematic review and eleven trials were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled effect size showed that, comparing with traditional methods, concept mapping could improve subjects' critical thinking ability measured by California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), California Critical Thinking Skill Test (CCTST) and Critical Thinking Scale (CTS). The subgroup analyses showed that concept mapping improved the score of all subscales. The result of this review indicated that concept mapping could affect the critical thinking affective dispositions and critical thinking cognitive skills. Further high quality research using uniform evaluation is required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Continual Screening of Patients Using mHealth: The Rolling Score Concept Applied to Sleep Medicine.

    PubMed

    Zluga, Claudio; Modre-Osprian, Robert; Kastner, Peter; Schreier, Günter

    2016-01-01

    Continual monitoring of patients utilizing mHealth-based telemonitoring applications are more and more used for individual management of patients. A new approach in risk assessment called Rolling Score Concept uses standardized questionnaires for continual scoring of individuals' health state through electronic patient reported outcome (ePRO). Using self-rated questionnaires and adding a specific Time Schedule to each question result in a movement of the questionnaires' scores over time, the Rolling Score. A text-processing pipeline was implemented with KNIME analytics platform to extract a Score Mapping Rule Set for three standardized screening questionnaires in the field of sleep medicine. A feasibility study was performed in 10 healthy volunteers equipped with a mHealth application on a smartphone and a sleep tracker. Results show that the proposed Rolling Score Concept is feasible and deviations of scores are in a reasonable range (< 7%), sustaining the new approach. However, further studies are required for verification. In addition, parameter quantification could avoid incorrect subjective evaluation by substitution of questions with sensor data.

  2. "Understanding" medical school curriculum content using KnowledgeMap.

    PubMed

    Denny, Joshua C; Smithers, Jeffrey D; Miller, Randolph A; Spickard, Anderson

    2003-01-01

    To describe the development and evaluation of computational tools to identify concepts within medical curricular documents, using information derived from the National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). The long-term goal of the KnowledgeMap (KM) project is to provide faculty and students with an improved ability to develop, review, and integrate components of the medical school curriculum. The KM concept identifier uses lexical resources partially derived from the UMLS (SPECIALIST lexicon and Metathesaurus), heuristic language processing techniques, and an empirical scoring algorithm. KM differentiates among potentially matching Metathesaurus concepts within a source document. The authors manually identified important "gold standard" biomedical concepts within selected medical school full-content lecture documents and used these documents to compare KM concept recognition with that of a known state-of-the-art "standard"-the National Library of Medicine's MetaMap program. The number of "gold standard" concepts in each lecture document identified by either KM or MetaMap, and the cause of each failure or relative success in a random subset of documents. For 4,281 "gold standard" concepts, MetaMap matched 78% and KM 82%. Precision for "gold standard" concepts was 85% for MetaMap and 89% for KM. The heuristics of KM accurately matched acronyms, concepts underspecified in the document, and ambiguous matches. The most frequent cause of matching failures was absence of target concepts from the UMLS Metathesaurus. The prototypic KM system provided an encouraging rate of concept extraction for representative medical curricular texts. Future versions of KM should be evaluated for their ability to allow administrators, lecturers, and students to navigate through the medical curriculum to locate redundancies, find interrelated information, and identify omissions. In addition, the ability of KM to meet specific, personal information needs should be assessed.

  3. Sophia: A Expedient UMLS Concept Extraction Annotator.

    PubMed

    Divita, Guy; Zeng, Qing T; Gundlapalli, Adi V; Duvall, Scott; Nebeker, Jonathan; Samore, Matthew H

    2014-01-01

    An opportunity exists for meaningful concept extraction and indexing from large corpora of clinical notes in the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical record. Currently available tools such as MetaMap, cTAKES and HITex do not scale up to address this big data need. Sophia, a rapid UMLS concept extraction annotator was developed to fulfill a mandate and address extraction where high throughput is needed while preserving performance. We report on the development, testing and benchmarking of Sophia against MetaMap and cTAKEs. Sophia demonstrated improved performance on recall as compared to cTAKES and MetaMap (0.71 vs 0.66 and 0.38). The overall f-score was similar to cTAKES and an improvement over MetaMap (0.53 vs 0.57 and 0.43). With regard to speed of processing records, we noted Sophia to be several fold faster than cTAKES and the scaled-out MetaMap service. Sophia offers a viable alternative for high-throughput information extraction tasks.

  4. Sophia: A Expedient UMLS Concept Extraction Annotator

    PubMed Central

    Divita, Guy; Zeng, Qing T; Gundlapalli, Adi V.; Duvall, Scott; Nebeker, Jonathan; Samore, Matthew H.

    2014-01-01

    An opportunity exists for meaningful concept extraction and indexing from large corpora of clinical notes in the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical record. Currently available tools such as MetaMap, cTAKES and HITex do not scale up to address this big data need. Sophia, a rapid UMLS concept extraction annotator was developed to fulfill a mandate and address extraction where high throughput is needed while preserving performance. We report on the development, testing and benchmarking of Sophia against MetaMap and cTAKEs. Sophia demonstrated improved performance on recall as compared to cTAKES and MetaMap (0.71 vs 0.66 and 0.38). The overall f-score was similar to cTAKES and an improvement over MetaMap (0.53 vs 0.57 and 0.43). With regard to speed of processing records, we noted Sophia to be several fold faster than cTAKES and the scaled-out MetaMap service. Sophia offers a viable alternative for high-throughput information extraction tasks. PMID:25954351

  5. [A Study on the Cognitive Learning Effectiveness of Scenario-Based Concept Mapping in a Neurological Nursing Course].

    PubMed

    Pan, Hui-Ching; Hsieh, Suh-Ing; Hsu, Li-Ling

    2015-12-01

    The multiple levels of knowledge related to the neurological system deter many students from pursuing studies on this topic. Thus, in facing complicated and uncertain medical circumstances, nursing students have diffi-culty adjusting and using basic neurological-nursing knowledge and skills. Scenario-based concept-mapping teaching has been shown to promote the integration of complicated data, clarify related concepts, and increase the effectiveness of cognitive learning. To investigate the effect on the neurological-nursing cognition and learning attitude of nursing students of a scenario-based concept-mapping strategy that was integrated into the neurological nursing unit of a medical and surgical nursing course. This quasi-experimental study used experimental and control groups and a pre-test / post-test design. Sopho-more (2nd year) students in a four-year program at a university of science and technology in Taiwan were convenience sampled using cluster randomization that was run under SPSS 17.0. Concept-mapping lessons were used as the intervention for the experimental group. The control group followed traditional lesson plans only. The cognitive learning outcome was measured using the neurological nursing-learning examination. Both concept-mapping and traditional lessons significantly improved post-test neurological nursing learning scores (p < .001), with no significant difference between the two groups (p = .51). The post-test feedback from the control group mentioned that too much content was taught and that difficulties were experienced in understanding mechanisms and in absorbing knowledge. In contrast, the experimental group held a significantly more positive perspective and learning attitude with regard to the teaching material. Furthermore, a significant number in the experimental group expressed the desire to add more lessons on anatomy, physiology, and pathology. These results indicate that this intervention strategy may help change the widespread fear and refusal of nursing students with regard to neurological lessons and may facilitate interest and positively affect learning in this important subject area. Integrating the concept-mapping strategy and traditional clinical-case lessons into neurological nursing lessons holds the potential to increase post-test scores significantly. Concept mapping helped those in the experimental group adopt views and attitudes toward learning the teaching material that were more positive than those held by their control-group peers. In addition, while 59% of the experimental group and 49% of the control group submitted opinions related to learning attitude in the open-ended questions, positive feedback was greater in the experimental group than in the control group.

  6. Concept mapping enhances learning of biochemistry.

    PubMed

    Surapaneni, Krishna M; Tekian, Ara

    2013-03-05

    Teaching basic science courses is challenging in undergraduate medical education because of the ubiquitous use of didactic lectures and reward for recall of factual information during examinations. The purpose of this study is to introduce concept maps with clinical cases (the innovative program) to improve learning of biochemistry course content. Participants were first year medical students (n=150) from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (India); they were randomly divided into two groups of 75, one group attending the traditional program, the other the innovative program. Student performance was measured using three written knowledge tests (each with a maximum score of 20). The students also evaluated the relevance of the learning process using a 12-item questionnaire. Students in the innovative program using concept mapping outperformed those in the traditional didactic program (means of 7.13-8.28 vs. 12.33-13.93, p<0.001). The students gave high positive ratings for the innovative course (93-100% agreement). The new concept-mapping program resulted in higher academic performance compared to the traditional course and was perceived favorably by the students. They especially valued the use of concept mapping as learning tools to foster the relevance of biochemistry to clinical practice, and to enhance their reasoning and learning skills, as well as their deeper understanding for biochemistry.

  7. Concept mapping enhances learning of biochemistry

    PubMed Central

    Surapaneni, Krishna M.; Tekian, Ara

    2013-01-01

    Background Teaching basic science courses is challenging in undergraduate medical education because of the ubiquitous use of didactic lectures and reward for recall of factual information during examinations. The purpose of this study is to introduce concept maps with clinical cases (the innovative program) to improve learning of biochemistry course content. Methods Participants were first year medical students (n=150) from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (India); they were randomly divided into two groups of 75, one group attending the traditional program, the other the innovative program. Student performance was measured using three written knowledge tests (each with a maximum score of 20). The students also evaluated the relevance of the learning process using a 12-item questionnaire. Results Students in the innovative program using concept mapping outperformed those in the traditional didactic program (means of 7.13–8.28 vs. 12.33–13.93, p<0.001). The students gave high positive ratings for the innovative course (93–100% agreement). Conclusion The new concept-mapping program resulted in higher academic performance compared to the traditional course and was perceived favorably by the students. They especially valued the use of concept mapping as learning tools to foster the relevance of biochemistry to clinical practice, and to enhance their reasoning and learning skills, as well as their deeper understanding for biochemistry. PMID:23464600

  8. Concept mapping enhances learning of biochemistry.

    PubMed

    Surapaneni, KrishnaM; Tekian, Ara

    2013-01-01

    Teaching basic science courses is challenging in undergraduate medical education because of the ubiquitous use of didactic lectures and reward for recall of factual information during examinations. The purpose of this study is to introduce concept maps with clinical cases (the innovative program) to improve learning of biochemistry course content. Participants were first year medical students (n=150) from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (India); they were randomly divided into two groups of 75, one group attending the traditional program, the other the innovative program. Student performance was measured using three written knowledge tests (each with a maximum score of 20). The students also evaluated the relevance of the learning process using a 12-item questionnaire. Students in the innovative program using concept mapping outperformed those in the traditional didactic program (means of 7.13-8.28 vs. 12.33-13.93, p<0.001). The students gave high positive ratings for the innovative course (93-100% agreement). The new concept-mapping program resulted in higher academic performance compared to the traditional course and was perceived favorably by the students. They especially valued the use of concept mapping as learning tools to foster the relevance of biochemistry to clinical practice, and to enhance their reasoning and learning skills, as well as their deeper understanding for biochemistry.

  9. Model-Based Reasoning: Using Visual Tools to Reveal Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luckie, Douglas; Harrison, Scott H.; Ebert-May, Diane

    2011-01-01

    Using visual models is common in science and should become more common in classrooms. Our research group has developed and completed studies on the use of a visual modeling tool, the Concept Connector. This modeling tool consists of an online concept mapping Java applet that has automatic scoring functions we refer to as Robograder. The Concept…

  10. Spatial Foundations of Science Education: The Illustrative Case of Instruction on Introductory Geological Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liben, Lynn S.; Kastens, Kim A.; Christensen, Adam E.

    2011-01-01

    To study the role of spatial concepts in science learning, 125 college students with high, medium, or low scores on a horizontality (water-level) spatial task were given information about geological strike and dip using existing educational materials. Participants mapped an outcrop's strike and dip, a rod's orientation, pointed to a distant…

  11. Effective self-regulated science learning through multimedia-enriched skeleton concept maps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marée, Ton J.; van Bruggen, Jan M.; Jochems, Wim M. G.

    2013-04-01

    Background: This study combines work on concept mapping with scripted collaborative learning. Purpose: The objective was to examine the effects of self-regulated science learning through scripting students' argumentative interactions during collaborative 'multimedia-enriched skeleton concept mapping' on meaningful science learning and retention. Programme description: Each concept in the enriched skeleton concept map (ESCoM) contained annotated multimedia-rich content (pictures, text, animations or video clips) that elaborated the concept, and an embedded collaboration script to guide students' interactions. Sample: The study was performed in a Biomolecules course on the Bachelor of Applied Science program in the Netherlands. All first-year students (N=93, 31 women, 62 men, aged 17-33 years) took part in this study. Design and methods: The design used a control group who received the regular course and an experimental group working together in dyads on an ESCoM under the guidance of collaboration scripts. In order to investigate meaningful understanding and retention, a retention test was administered a month after the final exam. Results: Analysis of covariance demonstrated a significant experimental effect on the Biomolecules exam scores between the experimental group and the control, and the difference between the groups on the retention test also reached statistical significance. Conclusions: Scripted collaborative multimedia ESCoM mapping resulted in meaningful understanding and retention of the conceptual structure of the domain, the concepts, and their relations. Not only was scripted collaborative multimedia ESCoM mapping more effective than the traditional teaching approach, it was also more efficient in requiring far less teacher guidance.

  12. Beyond Academic Tracking: Using Cluster Analysis and Self-Organizing Maps to Investigate Secondary Students' Chemistry Self-Concept

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nielsen, Sara E.; Yezierski, Ellen J.

    2016-01-01

    Academic tracking, placing students in different classes based on past performance, is a common feature of the American secondary school system. A longitudinal study of secondary students' chemistry self-concept scores was conducted, and one feature of the study was the presence of academic tracking. Though academic tracking is one way to group…

  13. Diagnostic Reasoning across the Medical Education Continuum.

    PubMed

    Smith, C Scott; Hill, William; Francovich, Chris; Morris, Magdalena; Robbins, Bruce; Robins, Lynne; Turner, Andrew

    2014-07-15

    We aimed to study linguistic and non-linguistic elements of diagnostic reasoning across the continuum of medical education. We performed semi-structured interviews of premedical students, first year medical students, third year medical students, second year internal medicine residents, and experienced faculty (ten each) as they diagnosed three common causes of dyspnea. A second observer recorded emotional tone. All interviews were digitally recorded and blinded transcripts were created. Propositional analysis and concept mapping were performed. Grounded theory was used to identify salient categories and transcripts were scored with these categories. Transcripts were then unblinded. Systematic differences in propositional structure, number of concept connections, distribution of grounded theory categories, episodic and semantic memories, and emotional tone were identified. Summary concept maps were created and grounded theory concepts were explored for each learning level. We identified three major findings: (1) The "apprentice effect" in novices (high stress and low narrative competence); (2) logistic concept growth in intermediates; and (3) a cognitive state transition (between analytical and intuitive approaches) in experts. These findings warrant further study and comparison.

  14. Triatominae biochemistry goes to school: evaluation of a novel tool for teaching basic biochemical concepts of Chagas disease vectors.

    PubMed

    Cunha, Leonardo Rodrigues; Cudischevitch, Cecília de Oliveira; Carneiro, Alan Brito; Macedo, Gustavo Bartholomeu; Lannes, Denise; Silva-Neto, Mário Alberto Cardoso da

    2014-01-01

    We evaluate a new approach to teaching the basic biochemistry mechanisms that regulate the biology of Triatominae, major vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. We have designed and used a comic book, "Carlos Chagas: 100 years after a hero's discovery" containing scientific information obtained by seven distinguished contemporary Brazilian researchers working with Triatominaes. Students (22) in the seventh grade of a public elementary school received the comic book. The study was then followed up by the use of Concept Maps elaborated by the students. Six Concept Maps elaborated by the students before the introduction of the comic book received an average score of 7. Scores rose to an average of 45 after the introduction of the comic book. This result suggests that a more attractive content can greatly improve the knowledge and conceptual understanding among students not previously exposed to insect biochemistry. In conclusion, this study illustrates an alternative to current strategies of teaching about the transmission of neglected diseases. It also promotes the diffusion of the scientific knowledge produced by Brazilian researchers that may stimulate students to choose a scientific career. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  15. Cognitive Achievement and Motivation in Hands-on and Teacher-Centred Science Classes: Does an additional hands-on consolidation phase (concept mapping) optimise cognitive learning at work stations?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerstner, Sabine; Bogner, Franz X.

    2010-05-01

    Our study monitored the cognitive and motivational effects within different educational instruction schemes: On the one hand, teacher-centred versus hands-on instruction; on the other hand, hands-on instruction with and without a knowledge consolidation phase (concept mapping). All the instructions dealt with the same content. For all participants, the hands-on approach as well as the concept mapping adaptation were totally new. Our hands-on approach followed instruction based on "learning at work stations". A total of 397 high-achieving fifth graders participated in our study. We used a pre-test, post-test, retention test design both to detect students' short-term learning success and long-term learning success, and to document their decrease rates of newly acquired knowledge. Additionally, we monitored intrinsic motivation. Although the teacher-centred approach provided higher short-term learning success, hands-on instruction resulted in relatively lower decrease rates. However, after six weeks, all students reached similar levels of newly acquired knowledge. Nevertheless, concept mapping as a knowledge consolidation phase positively affected short-term increase in knowledge. Regularly placed in instruction, it might increase long-term retention rates. Scores of interest, perceived competence and perceived choice were very high in all the instructional schemes.

  16. The Salient Map Analysis for Research and Teaching (SMART) method: Powerful potential as a formative assessment in the biomedical sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cathcart, Laura Anne

    This dissertation consists of two studies: 1) development and characterization of the Salient Map Analysis for Research and Teaching (SMART) method as a formative assessment tool and 2) a case study exploring how a paramedic instructor's beliefs about learners affect her utilization of the SMART method and vice versa. The first study explored: How can a novel concept map analysis method be designed as an effective formative assessment tool? The SMART method improves upon existing concept map analysis methods because it does not require hierarchically structured concept maps and it preserves the rich content of the maps instead of reducing each map down to a numerical score. The SMART method is performed by comparing a set of students' maps to each other and to an instructor's map. The resulting composite map depicts, in percentages and highlighted colors, the similarities and differences between all of the maps. Some advantages of the SMART method as a formative assessment tool include its ability to highlight changes across time, problematic or alternative conceptions, and patterns of student responses at a glance. Study two explored: How do a paramedic instructor's beliefs about students and learning affect---and become affected by---her use of the SMART method as a formative assessment tool? This case study of Angel, an expert paramedic instructor, begins to address a gap in the emergency medical services (EMS) education literature, which contains almost no research on teachers or pedagogy. Angel and I worked together as participant co-researchers (Heron & Reason, 1997) exploring the affordances of the SMART method. This study, based on those interactions with Angel, involved using open coding to identify themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) from Angel's views of students and use of the SMART method. Angel views learning as a sense-making process. She has a multi-faceted view of her students as novices and invests substantial time trying to understand their concept maps. Not only do these beliefs affect her use of the SMART method; in addition, her beliefs are refined through the use of the SMART method.

  17. A Vygotskian analysis of preservice teachers' conceptions of dissolving and density

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaker elJishi, Ziad

    The purpose of this study was to examine the content knowledge of 64 elementary preservice teachers for the concepts of dissolving and density. Vygotsky's (1987) theory of concept development was used as a framework to categorize concepts and misconceptions resulting from evidences of preservice teacher knowledge including pre/post concept maps, writing artifacts, pre/post face-to-face interviews, examination results, and drawings. Statistical significances were found for pre- and post-concept map scores for dissolving (t = -5.773, p < 0.001) and density (t = -2.948, p = 0.005). As measured using Cohen's d values, increases in mean scores showed a medium-large effect size for (dissolving) and a small effect size for density. The triangulated results using all data types revealed that preservice teachers held several robust misconceptions about dissolving including the explanation that dissolving is a breakdown of substances, a formation of mixtures, and/or involves chemical change. Most preservice teachers relied on concrete concepts (such as rate or solubility) to explain dissolving. With regard to density, preservice teachers held two robust misconceptions including confusing density with buoyancy to explain the phenomena of floating and sinking, and confusing density with heaviness, mass, and weight. Most preservice teachers gained one concept for density, the density algorithm. Most preservice teachers who participated in this study demonstrated Vygotsky's notion of complex thinking and were unable to transform their thinking to the scientific conceptual level. That is, they were unable to articulate an understanding of either the process of dissolving or density that included a unified system of knowledge characterized as abstract, generalizable and hierarchical. Results suggest the need to instruct preservice elementary science teachers about the particulate nature of matter, intermolecular forces, and the Archimedes' principle.

  18. Cognitive structure and the affective domain: on knowing and feeling in biology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, Tressa L.; Mintzes, Joel J.

    2002-06-01

    This cross-age study explored the structural complexity and propositional validity of knowledge about and attitudes toward sharks, and the relationships among knowledge and attitudes. Responses were elicited from a convenience sample of students (5th, 8th and 11th grade, and college level) and senior citizens (n = 238). All subjects constructed a concept map on sharks and responded to a Likert-type attitude inventory. Based on the work of Novak and Gowin (Leaning How to Learn, Cambridge University Press, 1984), concept maps were scored for frequencies of non-redundant concepts and scientifically valid relationships, levels of hierarchy, incidence of branching and number of crosslinks. The attitude inventory, emerging from Kellert's (The Value of Life: Biological Diversity and Human Society, Island Press, 1996) work, generated subscale scores on four affective dimensions: scientific, naturalistic, moralistic and utilitarian/negative. Significant differences were found among subject groups on all knowledge structure variables and attitudinal dimensions. Gender differences were documented on three of four attitude subscales. A series of simple, mulitiple and canonical correlations revealed moderately strong relationships between knowledge structure variables and attitudinal dimensions. The pattern of these relationships supports conservation education efforts and instructional practices that encourage meaningful learning, knowledge restructuring and conceptual change (Mintzes et al., Assessing Science Understanding: A Human Constructivist View, Academic Press, 2000).

  19. Stop Think: a simple approach to encourage the self-assessment of learning.

    PubMed

    Guy, Richard; Byrne, Bruce; Dobos, Marian

    2017-03-01

    A simple "stop think" approach was developed to encourage the self-assessment of learning. A key element was the requirement for students to rate their feeling of difficulty before [FOD (pre) ] and after [FOD (post) ] completing each of three authentic anatomy and physiology concept map exercises. The cohort was divided into low- (group L) and high-performing (group H) groups (based on final subject marks). Both FOD (pre) (group L) and FOD (post) (groups L and H) were significantly negatively correlated with score for some maps. A comparison of FOD (pre) and FOD (post) showed that students changed their mind about difficulty in 58-70% of the completed maps. Students who changed their estimation were asked to provide explanatory comments, and an increase in difficulty was related to problems with map link generation. For students who found the maps easier, 40% of comments indicated that map generation prompted recall of information from memory. Both difficulty estimations and comments supported the contention that students were self-assessing their interaction with the concept maps. Group H was significantly older than group L, had significantly higher levels of deep strategic and deep motivational learning, and had significantly higher marks in two of three concept map exercises. Notwithstanding these differences, the results from the "stop think" approach were similar between groups, indicating that it may be appropriate for students of varying academic ability. It is suggested that "stop think" may be a useful approach to encourage student self-assessment, an important step in assisting self-regulated learning development. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  20. The effectiveness of learning with concept mapping on the science problem-solving of sixth-grade children

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jolly, Anju B.

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of concept mapping to science problem solving in sixth grade elementary school children. The study proposes to determine whether the students' ability to perform higher cognitive processes was a predictor of students' performance in solving problems in science and whether gender and socioeconomic status are related to performance in solving problems. Two groups participated in the study. Both groups were given a pre-test of higher cognitive ability--the Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Ability. One group received instruction on a science unit of study in concept mapping format and the other group received instruction in traditional format. The instruction lasted approximately 4 weeks. Both groups were given a problem-solving post-test. A comparison of post-test means was done using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) as the statistical procedure with scores on the test of higher cognitive ability as the covariate. Also, Multiple Regression was performed to analyze the influence of participants' gender and socioeconomic status on their performance in solving problems. Results from the analysis of covariance showed that the group receiving instruction in the concept mapping format performed significantly better than the group receiving instruction in traditional format. Also the Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Processes emerged to be a predictor of performance on problem solving. There was no significant difference in the analysis of the performance of males and females. No pattern emerged regarding the influence of socioeconomic status on problem solving performance. In conclusion, the study showed that concept mapping improved problem solving in the classroom, and that gender and socioeconomic status are not predictors of student success in problem solving.

  1. Spatial MEG laterality maps for language: clinical applications in epilepsy.

    PubMed

    D'Arcy, Ryan C N; Bardouille, Timothy; Newman, Aaron J; McWhinney, Sean R; Debay, Drew; Sadler, R Mark; Clarke, David B; Esser, Michael J

    2013-08-01

    Functional imaging is increasingly being used to provide a noninvasive alternative to intracarotid sodium amobarbitol testing (i.e., the Wada test). Although magnetoencephalography (MEG) has shown significant potential in this regard, the resultant output is often reduced to a simplified estimate of laterality. Such estimates belie the richness of functional imaging data and consequently limit the potential value. We present a novel approach that utilizes MEG data to compute "complex laterality vectors" and consequently "laterality maps" for a given function. Language function was examined in healthy controls and in people with epilepsy. When compared with traditional laterality index (LI) approaches, the resultant maps provided critical information about the magnitude and spatial characteristics of lateralized function. Specifically, it was possible to more clearly define low LI scores resulting from strong bilateral activation, high LI scores resulting from weak unilateral activation, and most importantly, the spatial distribution of lateralized activation. We argue that the laterality concept is better presented with the inherent spatial sensitivity of activation maps, rather than being collapsed into a one-dimensional index. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Effects of Concept Map Extraction and a Test-Based Diagnostic Environment on Learning Achievement and Learners' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Yu-Shih; Chang, Yi-Chun; Liew, Keng-Hou; Chu, Chih-Ping

    2016-01-01

    Computerised testing and diagnostics are critical challenges within an e-learning environment, where the learners can assess their learning performance through tests. However, a test result based on only a single score is insufficient information to provide a full picture of learning performance. In addition, because test results implicitly…

  3. Mapping Engineering Concepts for Secondary Level Education. Final Report. Research in Engineering and Technology Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daugherty, Jenny L.

    2011-01-01

    Much of the national attention on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education tends to concentrate on science and mathematics, with its emphasis on standardized test scores. However as the National Academy of Engineering Committee on K-12 Engineering Education stressed, engineering can contribute to the development of an…

  4. Enriching the international clinical nomenclature with Chinese daily used synonyms and concept recognition in physician notes.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Rui; Liu, Jialin; Huang, Yong; Wang, Miye; Shi, Qingke; Chen, Jun; Zeng, Zhi

    2017-05-02

    It has been shown that the entities in everyday clinical text are often expressed in a way that varies from how they are expressed in the nomenclature. Owing to lots of synonyms, abbreviations, medical jargons or even misspellings in the daily used physician notes in clinical information system (CIS), the terminology without enough synonyms may not be adequately suitable for the task of Chinese clinical term recognition. This paper demonstrates a validated system to retrieve the Chinese term of clinical finding (CTCF) from CIS and map them to the corresponding concepts of international clinical nomenclature, such as SNOMED CT. The system focuses on the SNOMED CT with Chinese synonyms enrichment (SCCSE). The literal similarity and the diagnosis-related similarity metrics were used for concept mapping. Two CTCF recognition methods, the rule- and terminology-based approach (RTBA) and the conditional random field machine learner (CRF), were adopted to identify the concepts in physician notes. The system was validated against the history of present illness annotated by clinical experts. The RTBA and CRF could be combined to predict new CTCFs besides SCCSE persistently. Around 59,000 CTCF candidates were accepted as valid and 39,000 of them occurred at least once in the history of present illness. 3,729 of them were accordant with the description in referenced Chinese clinical nomenclature, which could cross map to other international nomenclature such as SNOMED CT. With the hybrid similarity metrics, another 7,454 valid CTCFs (synonyms) were succeeded in concept mapping. For CTCF recognition in physician notes, a series of experiments were performed to find out the best CRF feature set, which gained an F-score of 0.887. The RTBA achieved a better F-score of 0.919 by the CTCF dictionary created in this research. This research demonstrated that it is feasible to help the SNOMED CT with Chinese synonyms enrichment based on physician notes in CIS. With continuous maintenance of SCCSE, the CTCFs could be precisely retrieved from free text, and the CTCFs arranged in semantic hierarchy of SNOMED CT could greatly improve the meaningful use of electronic health record in China. The methodology is also useful for clinical synonyms enrichment in other languages.

  5. Effectiveness of a Low-Cost, Graduate Student–Led Intervention on Study Habits and Performance in Introductory Biology

    PubMed Central

    Hoskins, Tyler D.; Gantz, J. D.; Chaffee, Blake R.; Arlinghaus, Kel; Wiebler, James; Hughes, Michael; Fernandes, Joyce J.

    2017-01-01

    Institutions have developed diverse approaches that vary in effectiveness and cost to improve student performance in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. We developed a low-cost, graduate student–led, metacognition-based study skills course taught in conjunction with the introductory biology series at Miami University. Our approach aimed to improve performance for underachieving students by combining an existing framework for the process of learning (the study cycle) with concrete tools (outlines and concept maps) that have been shown to encourage deep understanding. To assess the effectiveness of our efforts, we asked 1) how effective our voluntary recruitment model was at enrolling the target cohort, 2) how the course impacted performance on lecture exams, 3) how the course impacted study habits and techniques, and 4) whether there are particular study habits or techniques that are associated with large improvements on exam scores. Voluntary recruitment attracted only 11–17% of our target cohort. While focal students improved on lecture exams relative to their peers who did not enroll, gains were relatively modest, and not all students improved. Further, although students across both semesters of our study reported improved study habits (based on pre and post surveys) and on outlines and concept maps (based on retrospectively scored assignments), gains were more dramatic in the Fall semester. Multivariate models revealed that, while changes in study habits and in the quality of outlines and concept maps were weakly associated with change in performance on lecture exams, relationships were only significant in the Fall semester and were sometimes counterintuitive. Although benefits of the course were offset somewhat by the inefficiency of voluntary recruitment, we demonstrate the effectiveness our course, which is inexpensive to implement and has advantage of providing pedagogical experience to future educators. PMID:28747353

  6. Does attitude hinder or help selecting evaluation questions?

    PubMed

    Shams, Behzad; Dehghani, Mostafa

    2015-06-01

    Positive attitude leads to a more successfully implementation of a change. We investigated the effect of attitudes of stakeholders toward a program on their prioritization of the program components for selecting the key question of a theory-driven evaluation with concept mapping method. During a brainstorming session, stated statements defined the program components. Then they were sorted and rated regarding the importance and feasibility of them. In addition, the attitudes of participants were assessed by a 30 items questionnaire extracted from a pool named as "50 reasons not to change." We determined and compared the consensus points of participants both with and without of considering their attitudes toward the program. The participants were divided into two groups of high (45% - above the mean) and low (55% - below the mean) attitude. Brainstorming discussions generated a pool of almost 120 statements which were subsequently refined to 44 statements. Matching the rating scores between two attitude groups yielded a consensus at a higher priority than the other method. In the concept mapping procedure, it is crucial to reach the consensus with respect to the participants' attitude, rather than the similarity of mean scores of feasibility and importance.

  7. Phase II evaluation of clinical coding schemes: completeness, taxonomy, mapping, definitions, and clarity. CPRI Work Group on Codes and Structures.

    PubMed

    Campbell, J R; Carpenter, P; Sneiderman, C; Cohn, S; Chute, C G; Warren, J

    1997-01-01

    To compare three potential sources of controlled clinical terminology (READ codes version 3.1, SNOMED International, and Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) version 1.6) relative to attributes of completeness, clinical taxonomy, administrative mapping, term definitions and clarity (duplicate coding rate). The authors assembled 1929 source concept records from a variety of clinical information taken from four medical centers across the United States. The source data included medical as well as ample nursing terminology. The source records were coded in each scheme by an investigator and checked by the coding scheme owner. The codings were then scored by an independent panel of clinicians for acceptability. Codes were checked for definitions provided with the scheme. Codes for a random sample of source records were analyzed by an investigator for "parent" and "child" codes within the scheme. Parent and child pairs were scored by an independent panel of medical informatics specialists for clinical acceptability. Administrative and billing code mapping from the published scheme were reviewed for all coded records and analyzed by independent reviewers for accuracy. The investigator for each scheme exhaustively searched a sample of coded records for duplications. SNOMED was judged to be significantly more complete in coding the source material than the other schemes (SNOMED* 70%; READ 57%; UMLS 50%; *p < .00001). SNOMED also had a richer clinical taxonomy judged by the number of acceptable first-degree relatives per coded concept (SNOMED* 4.56, UMLS 3.17; READ 2.14, *p < .005). Only the UMLS provided any definitions; these were found for 49% of records which had a coding assignment. READ and UMLS had better administrative mappings (composite score: READ* 40.6%; UMLS* 36.1%; SNOMED 20.7%, *p < .00001), and SNOMED had substantially more duplications of coding assignments (duplication rate: READ 0%; UMLS 4.2%; SNOMED* 13.9%, *p < .004) associated with a loss of clarity. No major terminology source can lay claim to being the ideal resource for a computer-based patient record. However, based upon this analysis of releases for April 1995, SNOMED International is considerably more complete, has a compositional nature and a richer taxonomy. Is suffers from less clarity, resulting from a lack of syntax and evolutionary changes in its coding scheme. READ has greater clarity and better mapping to administrative schemes (ICD-10 and OPCS-4), is rapidly changing and is less complete. UMLS is a rich lexical resource, with mappings to many source vocabularies. It provides definitions for many of its terms. However, due to the varying granularities and purposes of its source schemes, it has limitations for representation of clinical concepts within a computer-based patient record.

  8. The effect of concept mapping on preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of science inquiry teaching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Diann Carol

    This study examined the effect of concept mapping as a method of stimulating reflection on preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of science inquiry instruction methods. Three intact classes of science education preservice teachers participated in a non-randomized comparison group with a pretest and posttest design to measure the influence of mapping on participants' knowledge of inquiry science instruction. All groups followed the same course syllabus, in class activities, readings, assignments and assessment tasks. The manner in which they presented their ideas about inquiry science teaching varied. Groups constructed pre-lesson, post-lesson, and homework lists or maps across three inquiry based instruction modules (ecosystems, food chains, and electricity). Equivalent forms of the Teaching Science Inventory (TSI) were used to investigate changes in preservice teachers' propositional knowledge about how to teach using inquiry science instruction methods. Equivalent forms of the Science Lesson Planning (SLP) test were used to investigate changes in preservice teachers' application knowledge about how to teach using inquiry science instruction methods. Data analysis included intrarater reliability, ANOVAs, ANCOVAs, and correlations between lists and maps and examination responses. SLP and TSI scores improved from the pretest to the posttest in each of the three study groups. The results indicate that, in general, there were basically no relationships between the treatment and outcome measures. In addition, there were no significant differences between the three groups in their knowledge about how to teach science. Conclusions drawn from this study include, first, the learners did learn how to teach science using inquiry. Second, in this study there is little evidence to support that concept mapping was more successful than the listing strategy in improving preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of teaching science using inquiry science instruction methods.

  9. Knowledge Maps for E-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jae Hwa; Segev, Aviv

    2012-01-01

    Maps such as concept maps and knowledge maps are often used as learning materials. These maps have nodes and links, nodes as key concepts and links as relationships between key concepts. From a map, the user can recognize the important concepts and the relationships between them. To build concept or knowledge maps, domain experts are needed.…

  10. A phenomenographic case study: Concept maps from the perspectives of middle school students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saglam, Yilmaz

    The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of middle school students when concept maps were used as a learning tool. Twenty-nine students' written responses, concept maps and videotapes were analyzed. Out of 29 students, thirteen students were interviewed using a semi-structured and open-ended interview protocol. The students' initial written responses provided us with the students' initial reactions to concept maps. The videotapes captured the students' behavior, and interpersonal interactions. The interviews probed students': (1) knowledge about drawing concept maps, (2) perception of the meaning and usefulness of concept maps, and (3) attitudes towards concept maps. The results indicated that the students viewed concept maps as useful tools in learning science. They believed that concept maps organized and summarized the information, which thereby helped them understand the topic easily. They also believed that concept maps had some cognitive benefits. However, the students viewed concept maps as hard to construct because it was difficult for the students to think of related concepts. The students' initial written responses, interviews and videotapes indicated that the students seemed to see both positive and negative aspects of concept maps. Some students' had more positive and some had more negative attitudes.

  11. Conceptual development and retention within the learning cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McWhirter, Lisa Jo

    1998-12-01

    This research was designed to achieve two goals: (1) examine concept development and retention within the learning cycle and (2) examine how students' concept development is mediated by classroom discussions and the students' small cooperative learning group. Forty-eight sixth-grade students and one teacher at an urban middle school participated in the study. The research utilized both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative assessments included a concept mapping technique as well as teacher generated multiple choice tests. Preliminary quantitative analysis found that students' reading levels had an effect on students' pretest scores in both the concept mapping and the multiple-choice assessment. Therefore, a covariant design was implemented for the quantitative analyses. Quantitative analysis techniques were used to examine concept development and retention, it was discovered that the students' concept knowledge increased significantly from the time of the conclusion of the term introduction phase to the conclusion of the expansion phase. These findings would indicate that all three phases of the learning cycle are necessary for conceptual development. However, quantitative analyses of concept maps indicated that this is not true for all students. Individual students showed evidence of concept development and integration at each phase. Therefore, concept development is individualized and all phases of the learning cycle are not necessary for all students. As a result, individual's assimilation, disequilibration, accommodation and organization may not correlate with the phases of the learning cycle. Quantitative analysis also indicated a significant decrease in the retention of concepts over time. Qualitative analyses were used to examine how students' concept development is mediated by classroom discussions and the students' small cooperative learning group. It was discovered that there was a correlation between teacher-student interaction and small-group interaction and concept mediation. Therefore, students who had a high level of teacher-student dialogue which utilized teacher led discussions with integrated scaffolding techniques where the same students who mediated the ideas within the small group discussions. Those students whose teacher-student interactions consisted of dialogue with little positive teacher feedback made no contributions within the small group regardless of their level of concept development.

  12. Integrating Concept Mapping and the Learning Cycle To Teach Diffusion and Osmosis Concepts to High School Biology Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Odom, Arthur L.; Kelly, Paul V.

    2001-01-01

    Explores the effectiveness of concept mapping, the learning cycle, expository instruction, and a combination of concept mapping/learning cycle in promoting conceptual understanding of diffusion and osmosis. Concludes that the concept mapping/learning cycle and concept mapping treatment groups significantly outperformed the expository treatment…

  13. A pilot study of an online workplace nutrition program: the value of participant input in program development.

    PubMed

    Cousineau, Tara; Houle, Brian; Bromberg, Jonas; Fernandez, Kathrine C; Kling, Whitney C

    2008-01-01

    Tailored nutrition Web programs constitute an emerging trend in obesity prevention. Initial investment in innovative technology necessitates that the target population be well understood. This pilot study's purpose was to determine the feasibility of a workplace nutrition Web program. Formative research was conducted with gaming industry employees and benefits managers to develop a consensus on workplace-specific nutrition needs. A demonstration Web program was piloted with stakeholders to determine feasibility. Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Jersey gaming establishments. 86 employees, 18 benefits managers. Prototype Web program. Concept mapping; 16-item nutrition knowledge test; satisfaction. Concept mapping was used to aggregate importance ratings on programmatic content, which informed Web program curriculum. Chi-square tests were performed postintervention to determine knowledge improvement. (1) Employees and benefits managers exhibited moderate agreement about content priorities for the program (r = 0.48). (2) There was a significant increase in employees' nutrition knowledge scores postintervention (t = 7.16, df = 36, P < .001); those with less knowledge exhibited the greatest gains in knowledge scores (r = -0.647, P < .001). Employees and benefit managers do not necessarily agree on the priority of nutrition-related content, suggesting a need for programs to appeal to various stakeholders. Computer-based approaches can address various stakeholder health concerns via tailored, customized programming.

  14. Coming To Know: The Role of the Concept Map--Mirror, Assistant, Master?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McAleese, Ray

    This paper explains the process of creating and managing concept maps, using reflection as a focus for its argument. Section 1, What is a Concept Map?, highlights the background and definition of concept mapping, explains how maps signify virtual conceptual structures, looks at structural knowledge, provides an example of a concept map, and…

  15. What Do Pre-Service Physics Teachers Know and Think about Concept Mapping?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Didis, Nilüfer; Özcan, Özgür; Azar, Ali

    2014-01-01

    In order to use concept maps in physics classes effectively, teachers' knowledge and ideas about concept mapping are as important as the physics knowledge used in mapping. For this reason, we aimed to examine pre-service physics teachers' knowledge on concept mapping, their ideas about the implementation of concept mapping in physics…

  16. Mining Concept Maps to Understand University Students' Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoo, Jin Soung; Cho, Moon-Heum

    2012-01-01

    Concept maps, visual representations of knowledge, are used in an educational context as a way to represent students' knowledge, and identify mental models of students; however there is a limitation of using concept mapping due to its difficulty to evaluate the concept maps. A concept map has a complex structure which is composed of concepts and…

  17. Phase II Evaluation of Clinical Coding Schemes

    PubMed Central

    Campbell, James R.; Carpenter, Paul; Sneiderman, Charles; Cohn, Simon; Chute, Christopher G.; Warren, Judith

    1997-01-01

    Abstract Objective: To compare three potential sources of controlled clinical terminology (READ codes version 3.1, SNOMED International, and Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) version 1.6) relative to attributes of completeness, clinical taxonomy, administrative mapping, term definitions and clarity (duplicate coding rate). Methods: The authors assembled 1929 source concept records from a variety of clinical information taken from four medical centers across the United States. The source data included medical as well as ample nursing terminology. The source records were coded in each scheme by an investigator and checked by the coding scheme owner. The codings were then scored by an independent panel of clinicians for acceptability. Codes were checked for definitions provided with the scheme. Codes for a random sample of source records were analyzed by an investigator for “parent” and “child” codes within the scheme. Parent and child pairs were scored by an independent panel of medical informatics specialists for clinical acceptability. Administrative and billing code mapping from the published scheme were reviewed for all coded records and analyzed by independent reviewers for accuracy. The investigator for each scheme exhaustively searched a sample of coded records for duplications. Results: SNOMED was judged to be significantly more complete in coding the source material than the other schemes (SNOMED* 70%; READ 57%; UMLS 50%; *p <.00001). SNOMED also had a richer clinical taxonomy judged by the number of acceptable first-degree relatives per coded concept (SNOMED* 4.56; UMLS 3.17; READ 2.14, *p <.005). Only the UMLS provided any definitions; these were found for 49% of records which had a coding assignment. READ and UMLS had better administrative mappings (composite score: READ* 40.6%; UMLS* 36.1%; SNOMED 20.7%, *p <. 00001), and SNOMED had substantially more duplications of coding assignments (duplication rate: READ 0%; UMLS 4.2%; SNOMED* 13.9%, *p <. 004) associated with a loss of clarity. Conclusion: No major terminology source can lay claim to being the ideal resource for a computer-based patient record. However, based upon this analysis of releases for April 1995, SNOMED International is considerably more complete, has a compositional nature and a richer taxonomy. It suffers from less clarity, resulting from a lack of syntax and evolutionary changes in its coding scheme. READ has greater clarity and better mapping to administrative schemes (ICD-10 and OPCS-4), is rapidly changing and is less complete. UMLS is a rich lexical resource, with mappings to many source vocabularies. It provides definitions for many of its terms. However, due to the varying granularities and purposes of its source schemes, it has limitations for representation of clinical concepts within a computer-based patient record. PMID:9147343

  18. Millennial Students' Preferred Methods for Learning Concepts in Psychiatric Nursing.

    PubMed

    Garwood, Janet K

    2015-09-01

    The current longitudinal, descriptive, and correlational study explored which traditional teaching strategies can engage Millennial students and adequately prepare them for the ultimate test of nursing competence: the National Council Licensure Examination. The study comprised a convenience sample of 40 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric nursing course. The students were exposed to a variety of traditional (e.g., PowerPoint(®)-guided lectures) and nontraditional (e.g., concept maps, group activities) teaching and learning strategies, and rated their effectiveness. The students' scores on the final examination demonstrated that student learning outcomes met or exceeded national benchmarks. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  19. Constructing Concept Maps to Encourage Meaningful Learning in Science Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akcay, Hakan

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate science teaching and assessing what is learned via using concept maps. Concept mapping is a technique for visually representing the structure of information. Concept mapping allows students to understand the relationships between concepts of science by creating a visual map of the connections. Concept…

  20. Concept Mapping: A Unique Means for Negotiating Meaning in Professional Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackinnon, Gregory R.; Keppell, Mike

    2005-01-01

    Concept mapping (Novak & Gowin, 1984) has been used extensively as a graphic organiser in classroom teaching. This article addresses two particular approaches to using concept mapping that go beyond classroom planning into the realm of "idea-exchange" with concept mapping as mediator. The notion of "negotiative concept mapping" is examined in two…

  1. A Parallel and Incremental Approach for Data-Intensive Learning of Bayesian Networks.

    PubMed

    Yue, Kun; Fang, Qiyu; Wang, Xiaoling; Li, Jin; Liu, Weiyi

    2015-12-01

    Bayesian network (BN) has been adopted as the underlying model for representing and inferring uncertain knowledge. As the basis of realistic applications centered on probabilistic inferences, learning a BN from data is a critical subject of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data paradigms. Currently, it is necessary to extend the classical methods for learning BNs with respect to data-intensive computing or in cloud environments. In this paper, we propose a parallel and incremental approach for data-intensive learning of BNs from massive, distributed, and dynamically changing data by extending the classical scoring and search algorithm and using MapReduce. First, we adopt the minimum description length as the scoring metric and give the two-pass MapReduce-based algorithms for computing the required marginal probabilities and scoring the candidate graphical model from sample data. Then, we give the corresponding strategy for extending the classical hill-climbing algorithm to obtain the optimal structure, as well as that for storing a BN by pairs. Further, in view of the dynamic characteristics of the changing data, we give the concept of influence degree to measure the coincidence of the current BN with new data, and then propose the corresponding two-pass MapReduce-based algorithms for BNs incremental learning. Experimental results show the efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness of our methods.

  2. Concept Mapping Using Cmap Tools to Enhance Meaningful Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cañas, Alberto J.; Novak, Joseph D.

    Concept maps are graphical tools that have been used in all facets of education and training for organizing and representing knowledge. When learners build concept maps, meaningful learning is facilitated. Computer-based concept mapping software such as CmapTools have further extended the use of concept mapping and greatly enhanced the potential of the tool, facilitating the implementation of a concept map-centered learning environment. In this chapter, we briefly present concept mapping and its theoretical foundation, and illustrate how it can lead to an improved learning environment when it is combined with CmapTools and the Internet. We present the nationwide “Proyecto Conéctate al Conocimiento” in Panama as an example of how concept mapping, together with technology, can be adopted by hundreds of schools as a means to enhance meaningful learning.

  3. What is needed to implement a computer-assisted health risk assessment tool? An exploratory concept mapping study.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Farah; Norman, Cameron; O'Campo, Patricia

    2012-12-19

    Emerging eHealth tools could facilitate the delivery of comprehensive care in time-constrained clinical settings. One such tool is interactive computer-assisted health-risk assessments (HRA), which may improve provider-patient communication at the point of care, particularly for psychosocial health concerns, which remain under-detected in clinical encounters. The research team explored the perspectives of healthcare providers representing a variety of disciplines (physicians, nurses, social workers, allied staff) regarding the factors required for implementation of an interactive HRA on psychosocial health. The research team employed a semi-qualitative participatory method known as Concept Mapping, which involved three distinct phases. First, in face-to-face and online brainstorming sessions, participants responded to an open-ended central question: "What factors should be in place within your clinical setting to support an effective computer-assisted screening tool for psychosocial risks?" The brainstormed items were consolidated by the research team. Then, in face-to-face and online sorting sessions, participants grouped the items thematically as 'it made sense to them'. Participants also rated each item on a 5-point scale for its 'importance' and 'action feasibility' over the ensuing six month period. The sorted and rated data was analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses which produced visual maps. In the third and final phase, the face-to-face Interpretation sessions, the concept maps were discussed and illuminated by participants collectively. Overall, 54 providers participated (emergency care 48%; primary care 52%). Participants brainstormed 196 items thought to be necessary for the implementation of an interactive HRA emphasizing psychosocial health. These were consolidated by the research team into 85 items. After sorting and rating, cluster analysis revealed a concept map with a seven-cluster solution: 1) the HRA's equitable availability; 2) the HRA's ease of use and appropriateness; 3) the content of the HRA survey; 4) patient confidentiality and choice; 5) patient comfort through humanistic touch; 6) professional development, care and workload; and 7) clinical management protocol. Drawing insight from the theoretical lens of Sociotechnical theory, the seven clusters of factors required for HRA implementation could be read as belonging to three overarching aspects : Technical (cluster 1, 2 and 3), Social-Patient (cluster 4 and 5), and Social-Provider (cluster 6 and 7). Participants rated every one of the clusters as important, with mean scores from 4.0 to 4.5. Their scores for feasibility were somewhat lower, ranging from 3.4 to. 4.3. Comparing the scores for importance and feasibility, a significant difference was found for one cluster from each region (cluster 2, 5, 6). The cluster on professional development, care and workload was perceived as especially challenging in emergency department settings, and possible reasons were discussed in the interpretation sessions. A number of intertwined multilevel factors emerged as important for the implementation of a computer-assisted, interactive HRA with a focus on psychosocial health. Future developments in this area could benefit from systems thinking and insights from theoretical perspectives, such as sociotechnical system theory for joint optimization and responsible autonomy, with emphasis on both the technical and social aspects of HRA implementation.

  4. The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Stephen C; McDonald, Darrel; Watson, Trey; Taylor, Josephine; Sowards, Alan B

    2009-01-01

    A content-driven biology course for preservice K-8 teachers has been developed. This course uses the constructivist approach, where instructors engage students by organizing information around concept-based problems. To this end, a semester-long, inquiry-based project was introduced where students studied lichen populations on trees located on their campus to monitor air quality. Data were incorporated into a geographical information systems (GIS) database to demonstrate how it can be used to map communities. Student teams counted the number of each lichen type within a grid placed on each tree trunk sampled and entered this information into a GIS database. The students constructed maps of lichen populations at each sample site and wrote abstracts about their research. Student performance was assessed by the preparation of these abstracts as well as by scores on pre- and posttests of key content measures. Students also completed a survey to determine whether the project aided in their comprehension as well as their interest in incorporating this activity into their own curricula. The students' pre- and posttest results showed an eightfold improvement in the total score after the semester project. Additionally, correct responses to each individual content measure increased by at least 35%. Total scores for the abstract ranged from 12 to 20 points out of 20 total points possible (60% to 100%), with a mean score of 15.8 points (78%). These results indicate that this exercise provided an excellent vehicle to teach students about lichens and their use as bioindicators and the application of geospatial technologies to map environmental data.

  5. The Utility of Concept Maps to Facilitate Higher-Level Learning in a Large Classroom Setting

    PubMed Central

    Carr-Lopez, Sian M.; Vyas, Deepti; Patel, Rajul A.; Gnesa, Eric H.

    2014-01-01

    Objective. To describe the utility of concept mapping in a cardiovascular therapeutics course within a large classroom setting. Design. Students enrolled in a cardiovascular care therapeutics course completed concept maps for each major chronic cardiovascular condition. A grading rubric was used to facilitate peer-assessment of the concept map. Assessment. Students were administered a survey at the end of the course assessing their perceptions on the usefulness of the concept maps during the course and also during APPEs to assess utility beyond the course. Question item analyses were conducted on cumulative final examinations comparing student performance on concept-mapped topics compared to nonconcept-mapped topics. Conclusion. Concept maps help to facilitate meaningful learning within the course and the majority of students utilized them beyond the course. PMID:26056408

  6. An Analysis of Prospective Teachers' Knowledge for Constructing Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Subramaniam, Karthigeyan; Esprívalo Harrell, Pamela

    2015-01-01

    Background: Literature contends that a teacher's knowledge of concept map-based tasks influence how their students perceive the task and execute the creation of acceptable concept maps. Teachers who are skilled concept mappers are able to (1) understand and apply the operational terms to construct a hierarchical/non-hierarchical concept map; (2)…

  7. A qualitative study on using concept maps in problem-based learning.

    PubMed

    Chan, Zenobia C Y

    2017-05-01

    The visual arts, including concept maps, have been shown to be effective tools for facilitating student learning. However, the use of concept maps in nursing education has been under-explored. The aim of this study was to explore how students develop concept maps and what these concept maps consist of, and their views on the use of concept maps as a learning activity in a PBL class. A qualitative approach consisting of an analysis of the contents of the concept maps and interviews with students. The study was conducted in a school of nursing in a university in Hong Kong. A total of 38 students who attended the morning session (20 students) and afternoon session (18 students) respectively of a nursing problem-based learning class. The students in both the morning and afternoon classes were allocated into four groups (4-5 students per group). Each group was asked to draw two concept maps based on a given scenario, and then to participate in a follow-up interview. Two raters individually assessed the concept maps, and then discussed their views with each other. Among the concept maps that were drawn, four were selected. Their four core features of those maps were: a) the integration of informative and artistic elements; b) the delivery of sensational messages; c) the use of images rather than words; and d) three-dimensional and movable. Both raters were concerned about how informative the presentation was, the composition of the elements, and the ease of comprehension, and appreciated the three-dimensional presentation and effective use of images. From the results of the interview, the pros and cons of using concept maps were discerned. This study demonstrated how concept maps could be implemented in a PBL class to boost the students' creativity and to motivate them to learn. This study suggests the use of concept maps as an initiative to motivate student to learn, participate actively, and nurture their creativity. To conclude, this study explored an alternative way for students to make presentations and pioneered the use of art-based concept maps to facilitate student learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Mapping for Depth and Variety: Using a "Six W's" Scaffold to Facilitate Concept Mapping for Different History Concepts with Different Degrees of Freedom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tzeng, Jeng-Yi

    2014-01-01

    This study examines how 98 students in Taiwan taking a typical high-school history class composed concept maps related to both an everyday concept and an academic-oriented unique concept with various degrees of freedom in concept mapping. In order to reveal the multidimensionality of history concepts, this study provided participants a 6W scaffold…

  9. Enhancing Multimedia Imbalanced Concept Detection Using VIMP in Random Forests.

    PubMed

    Sadiq, Saad; Yan, Yilin; Shyu, Mei-Ling; Chen, Shu-Ching; Ishwaran, Hemant

    2016-07-01

    Recent developments in social media and cloud storage lead to an exponential growth in the amount of multimedia data, which increases the complexity of managing, storing, indexing, and retrieving information from such big data. Many current content-based concept detection approaches lag from successfully bridging the semantic gap. To solve this problem, a multi-stage random forest framework is proposed to generate predictor variables based on multivariate regressions using variable importance (VIMP). By fine tuning the forests and significantly reducing the predictor variables, the concept detection scores are evaluated when the concept of interest is rare and imbalanced, i.e., having little collaboration with other high level concepts. Using classical multivariate statistics, estimating the value of one coordinate using other coordinates standardizes the covariates and it depends upon the variance of the correlations instead of the mean. Thus, conditional dependence on the data being normally distributed is eliminated. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms those approaches in the comparison in terms of the Mean Average Precision (MAP) values.

  10. A Pilot Study of an Online Workplace Nutrition Program: The Value of Participant Input in Program Development

    PubMed Central

    Cousineau, Tara; Houle, Brian; Bromberg, Jonas; Fernandez, Kathrine C.; Kling, Whitney C.

    2008-01-01

    Objective Tailored nutrition Web programs constitute an emerging trend in obesity prevention. Initial investment in innovative technology necessitates that the target population be well understood. This pilot study’s purpose was to determine the feasibility of a workplace nutrition Web program. Design Formative research was conducted with gaming industry employees and benefits managers to develop a consensus on workplace-specific nutrition needs. A demonstration Web program was piloted with stakeholders to determine feasibility. Setting Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Jersey gaming establishments. Participants 86 employees, 18 benefits managers. Intervention Prototype Web program. Main Outcome Measures Concept mapping; 16-item nutrition knowledge test; satisfaction. Analysis Concept mapping was used to aggregate importance ratings on programmatic content, which informed Web program curriculum. Chi-square tests were performed postintervention to determine knowledge improvement. Results (1) Employees and benefits managers exhibited moderate agreement about content priorities for the program (r = 0.48). (2) There was a significant increase in employees’ nutrition knowledge scores postintervention (t = 7.16, df = 36, P < .001); those with less knowledge exhibited the greatest gains in knowledge scores (r = −0.647, P < .001). Conclusions and Implications Employees and benefit managers do not necessarily agree on the priority of nutrition-related content, suggesting a need for programs to appeal to various stakeholders. Computer-based approaches can address various stakeholder health concerns via tailored, customized programming. PMID:18457784

  11. Concept Maps for Evaluating Learning of Sustainable Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shallcross, David C.

    2016-01-01

    Concept maps are used to assess student and cohort learning of sustainable development. The concept maps of 732 first-year engineering students were individually analyzed to detect patterns of learning and areas that were not well understood. Students were given 20 minutes each to prepare a concept map of at least 20 concepts using paper and pen.…

  12. The articulation of integration of clinical and basic sciences in concept maps: differences between experienced and resident groups.

    PubMed

    Vink, Sylvia; van Tartwijk, Jan; Verloop, Nico; Gosselink, Manon; Driessen, Erik; Bolk, Jan

    2016-08-01

    To determine the content of integrated curricula, clinical concepts and the underlying basic science concepts need to be made explicit. Preconstructed concept maps are recommended for this purpose. They are mainly constructed by experts. However, concept maps constructed by residents are hypothesized to be less complex, to reveal more tacit basic science concepts and these basic science concepts are expected to be used for the organization of the maps. These hypotheses are derived from studies about knowledge development of individuals. However, integrated curricula require a high degree of cooperation between clinicians and basic scientists. This study examined whether there are consistent variations regarding the articulation of integration when groups of experienced clinicians and basic scientists and groups of residents and basic scientists-in-training construct concept maps. Seven groups of three clinicians and basic scientists on experienced level and seven such groups on resident level constructed concept maps illuminating clinical problems. They were guided by instructions that focused them on articulation of integration. The concept maps were analysed by features that described integration. Descriptive statistics showed consistent variations between the two expertise levels. The concept maps of the resident groups exceeded those of the experienced groups in articulated integration. First, they used significantly more links between clinical and basic science concepts. Second, these links connected basic science concepts with a greater variety of clinical concepts than the experienced groups. Third, although residents did not use significantly more basic science concepts, they used them significantly more frequent to organize the clinical concepts. The conclusion was drawn that not all hypotheses could be confirmed and that the resident concept maps were more elaborate than expected. This article discusses the implications for the role that residents and basic scientists-in-training might play in the construction of preconstructed concept maps and the development of integrated curricula.

  13. Exploring teacher's perceptions of concept mapping as a teaching strategy in science: An action research approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marks Krpan, Catherine Anne

    In order to promote science literacy in the classroom, students need opportunities in which they can personalize their understanding of the concepts they are learning. Current literature supports the use of concept maps in enabling students to make personal connections in their learning of science. Because they involve creating explicit connections between concepts, concept maps can assist students in developing metacognitive strategies and assist educators in identifying misconceptions in students' thinking. The literature also notes that concept maps can improve student achievement and recall. Much of the current literature focuses primarily on concept mapping at the secondary and university levels, with limited focus on the elementary panel. The research rarely considers teachers' thoughts and ideas about the concept mapping process. In order to effectively explore concept mapping from the perspective of elementary teachers, I felt that an action research approach would be appropriate. Action research enabled educators to debate issues about concept mapping and test out ideas in their classrooms. It also afforded the participants opportunities to explore their own thinking, reflect on their personal journeys as educators and play an active role in their professional development. In an effort to explore concept mapping from the perspective of elementary educators, an action research group of 5 educators and myself was established and met regularly from September 1999 until June 2000. All of the educators taught in the Toronto area. These teachers were interested in exploring how concept mapping could be used as a learning tool in their science classrooms. In summary, this study explores the journey of five educators and myself as we engaged in collaborative action research. This study sets out to: (1) Explore how educators believe concept mapping can facilitate teaching and student learning in the science classroom. (2) Explore how educators implement concept mapping in their classrooms. (3) Identify challenges educators experience when they implement concept mapping. (4) Explore factors that impact on facilitating collaborative action research. (5) Provide insight into my growth as an action research facilitator.

  14. Thinking Connections: Concept Maps for Life Science. Book B.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burggraf, Frederick

    The concept maps contained in this book (for grades 7-12) span 35 topics in life science. Topics were chosen using the National Science Education Standards as a guide. The practice exercise in concept mapping is included to give students an idea of what the tasks ahead will be in content rich maps. Two levels of concept maps are included for each…

  15. An Intelligent Web-Based System for Diagnosing Student Learning Problems Using Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acharya, Anal; Sinha, Devadatta

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this article is to propose a method for development of concept map in web-based environment for identifying concepts a student is deficient in after learning using traditional methods. Direct Hashing and Pruning algorithm was used to construct concept map. Redundancies within the concept map were removed to generate a learning sequence.…

  16. Concept Mapping: An "Instagram" of Students' Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Laurie O.

    2016-01-01

    Minimal research has been accumulated in the field of social studies education for Novakian concept mapping, yet there are many benefits from adding this learning tool to a teacher's instructional toolbox. The article defines Novakian concept mapping and invites readers to adopt digital Novakian concept mapping into the social studies classroom as…

  17. High School Biology: A Group Approach to Concept Mapping.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, David S.

    2003-01-01

    Explains concept mapping as an instructional method in cooperative learning environments, and describes a study investigating the effectiveness of concept mapping on student learning during a photosynthesis and cellular respiration unit. Reports on the positive effects of concept mapping in the experimental group. (Contains 16 references.) (YDS)

  18. Middle-School Understanding of the Greenhouse Effect using a NetLogo Computer Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schultz, L.; Koons, P. O.; Schauffler, M.

    2009-12-01

    We investigated the effectiveness of a freely available agent based, modeling program as a learning tool for seventh and eighth grade students to explore the greenhouse effect without added curriculum. The investigation was conducted at two Maine middle-schools with 136 seventh-grade students and 11 eighth-grade students in eight classes. Students were given a pre-test that consisted of a concept map, a free-response question, and multiple-choice questions about how the greenhouse effect influences the Earth's temperature. The computer model simulates the greenhouse effect and allows students to manipulate atmospheric and surface conditions to observe the effects on the Earth’s temperature. Students explored the Greenhouse Effect model for approximately twenty minutes with only two focus questions for guidance. After the exploration period, students were given a post-test that was identical to the pre-test. Parametric post-test analysis of the assessments indicated middle-school students gained in their understanding about how the greenhouse effect influences the Earth's temperature after exploring the computer model for approximately twenty minutes. The magnitude of the changes in pre- and post-test concept map and free-response scores were small (average free-response post-test score of 7.0) compared to an expert's score (48), indicating that students understood only a few of the system relationships. While students gained in their understanding about the greenhouse effect, there was evidence that students held onto their misconceptions that (1) carbon dioxide in the atmosphere deteriorates the ozone layer, (2) the greenhouse effect is a result of humans burning fossil fuels, and (3) infrared and visible light have similar behaviors with greenhouse gases. We recommend using the Greenhouse Effect computer model with guided inquiry to focus students’ investigations on the system relationships in the model.

  19. A Tangible Approach to Concept Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanenbaum, Karen; Antle, Alissa N.

    2009-05-01

    The Tangible Concept Mapping project investigates using a tangible user interface to engage learners in concept map creation. This paper describes a prototype implementation of the system, presents some preliminary analysis of its ease of use and effectiveness, and discusses how elements of tangible interaction support concept mapping by helping users organize and structure their knowledge about a domain. The role of physical engagement and embodiment in supporting the mental activity of creating the concept map is explored as one of the benefits of a tangible approach to learning.

  20. Fostering Multimedia Learning with Collaborative Concept Mapping: The Effect of Cognitive Aid on Performance and on Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acuña, Santiago Roger; Aymes, Gabriela López; Medrano, Carlos Sergio López

    2014-01-01

    This paper analyzes the use of collaborative concept maps in multimedia learning tasks. Specifically, the effect of a cognitive aid (providing students a list of main concepts to generate a concept map) on the performance of collaborative concept mapping and on the level of collaboration in this task is discussed. The study was carried out with 57…

  1. Use of Networked Collaborative Concept Mapping To Measure Team Processes and Team Outcomes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chung, Gregory K. W. K.; O'Neil, Harold F., Jr.; Herl, Howard E.; Dennis, Robert A.

    The feasibility of using a computer-based networked collaborative concept mapping system to measure teamwork skills was studied. A concept map is a node-link-node representation of content, where the nodes represent concepts and links represent relationships between connected concepts. Teamwork processes were examined for a group concept mapping…

  2. ATR performance modeling concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, Timothy D.; Baker, Hyatt B.; Nolan, Adam R.; McGinnis, Ryan E.; Paulson, Christopher R.

    2016-05-01

    Performance models are needed for automatic target recognition (ATR) development and use. ATRs consume sensor data and produce decisions about the scene observed. ATR performance models (APMs) on the other hand consume operating conditions (OCs) and produce probabilities about what the ATR will produce. APMs are needed for many modeling roles of many kinds of ATRs (each with different sensing modality and exploitation functionality combinations); moreover, there are different approaches to constructing the APMs. Therefore, although many APMs have been developed, there is rarely one that fits a particular need. Clarified APM concepts may allow us to recognize new uses of existing APMs and identify new APM technologies and components that better support coverage of the needed APMs. The concepts begin with thinking of ATRs as mapping OCs of the real scene (including the sensor data) to reports. An APM is then a mapping from explicit quantized OCs (represented with less resolution than the real OCs) and latent OC distributions to report distributions. The roles of APMs can be distinguished by the explicit OCs they consume. APMs used in simulations consume the true state that the ATR is attempting to report. APMs used online with the exploitation consume the sensor signal and derivatives, such as match scores. APMs used in sensor management consume neither of those, but estimate performance from other OCs. This paper will summarize the major building blocks for APMs, including knowledge sources, OC models, look-up tables, analytical and learned mappings, and tools for signal synthesis and exploitation.

  3. Mining e-Learning Domain Concept Map from Academic Articles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Nian-Shing; Kinshuk; Wei, Chun-Wang; Chen, Hong-Jhe

    2008-01-01

    Recent researches have demonstrated the importance of concept map and its versatile applications especially in e-Learning. For example, while designing adaptive learning materials, designers need to refer to the concept map of a subject domain. Moreover, concept maps can show the whole picture and core knowledge about a subject domain. Research…

  4. Incorporating Concept Mapping in Project-Based Learning: Lessons from Watershed Investigations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rye, James; Landenberger, Rick; Warner, Timothy A.

    2013-01-01

    The concept map tool set forth by Novak and colleagues is underutilized in education. A meta-analysis has encouraged teachers to make extensive use of concept mapping, and researchers have advocated computer-based concept mapping applications that exploit hyperlink technology. Through an NSF sponsored geosciences education grant, middle and…

  5. Using Concept Mapping to Improve Poor Readers' Understanding of Expository Text

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morfidi, Eleni; Mikropoulos, Anastasios; Rogdaki, Aspasia

    2018-01-01

    The present study examined whether the use of concept mapping is more effective in teaching expository material in comparison to a traditional, lecture only, approach. Its objective was threefold. First, to determine if multimedia concept mapping produces differential learning outcomes compared to digital text-based concept mapping. Secondly, to…

  6. Concept Maps and Language: A Turkish Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilic, Gulsen Bagci

    2003-01-01

    Concept maps are being used by an increasing number of educators in Europe and the US. This paper has four goals. First, it discusses problems in developing Novak's style concept maps in Turkish caused by linguistic differences between Turkish and English. Second, it reports the findings of a research study conducted to adapt concept maps to…

  7. Use of multiple cluster analysis methods to explore the validity of a community outcomes concept map.

    PubMed

    Orsi, Rebecca

    2017-02-01

    Concept mapping is now a commonly-used technique for articulating and evaluating programmatic outcomes. However, research regarding validity of knowledge and outcomes produced with concept mapping is sparse. The current study describes quantitative validity analyses using a concept mapping dataset. We sought to increase the validity of concept mapping evaluation results by running multiple cluster analysis methods and then using several metrics to choose from among solutions. We present four different clustering methods based on analyses using the R statistical software package: partitioning around medoids (PAM), fuzzy analysis (FANNY), agglomerative nesting (AGNES) and divisive analysis (DIANA). We then used the Dunn and Davies-Bouldin indices to assist in choosing a valid cluster solution for a concept mapping outcomes evaluation. We conclude that the validity of the outcomes map is high, based on the analyses described. Finally, we discuss areas for further concept mapping methods research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Experimentation of cooperative learning model Numbered Heads Together (NHT) type by concept maps and Teams Games Tournament (TGT) by concept maps in terms of students logical mathematics intellegences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irawan, Adi; Mardiyana; Retno Sari Saputro, Dewi

    2017-06-01

    This research is aimed to find out the effect of learning model towards learning achievement in terms of students’ logical mathematics intelligences. The learning models that were compared were NHT by Concept Maps, TGT by Concept Maps, and Direct Learning model. This research was pseudo experimental by factorial design 3×3. The population of this research was all of the students of class XI Natural Sciences of Senior High School in all regency of Karanganyar in academic year 2016/2017. The conclusions of this research were: 1) the students’ achievements with NHT learning model by Concept Maps were better than students’ achievements with TGT model by Concept Maps and Direct Learning model. The students’ achievements with TGT model by Concept Maps were better than the students’ achievements with Direct Learning model. 2) The students’ achievements that exposed high logical mathematics intelligences were better than students’ medium and low logical mathematics intelligences. The students’ achievements that exposed medium logical mathematics intelligences were better than the students’ low logical mathematics intelligences. 3) Each of student logical mathematics intelligences with NHT learning model by Concept Maps has better achievement than students with TGT learning model by Concept Maps, students with NHT learning model by Concept Maps have better achievement than students with the direct learning model, and the students with TGT by Concept Maps learning model have better achievement than students with Direct Learning model. 4) Each of learning model, students who have logical mathematics intelligences have better achievement then students who have medium logical mathematics intelligences, and students who have medium logical mathematics intelligences have better achievement than students who have low logical mathematics intelligences.

  9. Computer-assisted concept mapping: Visual aids for knowledge construction

    PubMed Central

    Mammen, Jennifer R.

    2016-01-01

    Background Concept mapping is a visual representation of ideas that facilitates critical thinking and is applicable to many areas of nursing education. Computer-Assisted Concept Maps are more flexible and less constrained than traditional paper methods, allowing for analysis and synthesis of complex topics and larger amounts of data. Ability to iteratively revise and collaboratively create computerized maps can contribute to enhanced interpersonal learning. However, there is limited awareness of free software that can support these types of applications. Discussion This educational brief examines affordances and limitations of Computer-Assisted Concept Maps and reviews free software for development of complex, collaborative malleable maps. Free software such as VUE, Xmind, MindMaple, and others can substantially contribute to utility of concept-mapping for nursing education. Conclusions Computerized concept-mapping is an important tool for nursing and is likely to hold greater benefit for students and faculty than traditional pen and paper methods alone. PMID:27351610

  10. [Implementation of ontology-based clinical decision support system for management of interactions between antihypertensive drugs and diet].

    PubMed

    Park, Jeong Eun; Kim, Hwa Sun; Chang, Min Jung; Hong, Hae Sook

    2014-06-01

    The influence of dietary composition on blood pressure is an important subject in healthcare. Interactions between antihypertensive drugs and diet (IBADD) is the most important factor in the management of hypertension. It is therefore essential to support healthcare providers' decision making role in active and continuous interaction control in hypertension management. The aim of this study was to implement an ontology-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) for IBADD management (IBADDM). We considered the concepts of antihypertensive drugs and foods, and focused on the interchangeability between the database and the CDSS when providing tailored information. An ontology-based CDSS for IBADDM was implemented in eight phases: (1) determining the domain and scope of ontology, (2) reviewing existing ontology, (3) extracting and defining the concepts, (4) assigning relationships between concepts, (5) creating a conceptual map with CmapTools, (6) selecting upper ontology, (7) formally representing the ontology with Protégé (ver.4.3), (8) implementing an ontology-based CDSS as a JAVA prototype application. We extracted 5,926 concepts, 15 properties, and formally represented them using Protégé. An ontology-based CDSS for IBADDM was implemented and the evaluation score was 4.60 out of 5. We endeavored to map functions of a CDSS and implement an ontology-based CDSS for IBADDM.

  11. Concept Mapping: A Critical Thinking Technique

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Charles M.; Zha, Shenghua

    2013-01-01

    Concept mapping, graphically depicting the structure of abstract concepts, is based on the observation that pictures and line drawings are often more easily comprehended than the words that represent an abstract concept. The efficacy of concept mapping for facilitating critical thinking was assessed in four sections of an introductory psychology…

  12. What is needed to implement a computer-assisted health risk assessment tool? An exploratory concept mapping study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Emerging eHealth tools could facilitate the delivery of comprehensive care in time-constrained clinical settings. One such tool is interactive computer-assisted health-risk assessments (HRA), which may improve provider-patient communication at the point of care, particularly for psychosocial health concerns, which remain under-detected in clinical encounters. The research team explored the perspectives of healthcare providers representing a variety of disciplines (physicians, nurses, social workers, allied staff) regarding the factors required for implementation of an interactive HRA on psychosocial health. Methods The research team employed a semi-qualitative participatory method known as Concept Mapping, which involved three distinct phases. First, in face-to-face and online brainstorming sessions, participants responded to an open-ended central question: “What factors should be in place within your clinical setting to support an effective computer-assisted screening tool for psychosocial risks?” The brainstormed items were consolidated by the research team. Then, in face-to-face and online sorting sessions, participants grouped the items thematically as ‘it made sense to them’. Participants also rated each item on a 5-point scale for its ‘importance’ and ‘action feasibility’ over the ensuing six month period. The sorted and rated data was analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses which produced visual maps. In the third and final phase, the face-to-face Interpretation sessions, the concept maps were discussed and illuminated by participants collectively. Results Overall, 54 providers participated (emergency care 48%; primary care 52%). Participants brainstormed 196 items thought to be necessary for the implementation of an interactive HRA emphasizing psychosocial health. These were consolidated by the research team into 85 items. After sorting and rating, cluster analysis revealed a concept map with a seven-cluster solution: 1) the HRA’s equitable availability; 2) the HRA’s ease of use and appropriateness; 3) the content of the HRA survey; 4) patient confidentiality and choice; 5) patient comfort through humanistic touch; 6) professional development, care and workload; and 7) clinical management protocol. Drawing insight from the theoretical lens of Sociotechnical theory, the seven clusters of factors required for HRA implementation could be read as belonging to three overarching aspects : Technical (cluster 1, 2 and 3), Social-Patient (cluster 4 and 5), and Social-Provider (cluster 6 and 7). Participants rated every one of the clusters as important, with mean scores from 4.0 to 4.5. Their scores for feasibility were somewhat lower, ranging from 3.4 to. 4.3. Comparing the scores for importance and feasibility, a significant difference was found for one cluster from each region (cluster 2, 5, 6). The cluster on professional development, care and workload was perceived as especially challenging in emergency department settings, and possible reasons were discussed in the interpretation sessions. Conclusion A number of intertwined multilevel factors emerged as important for the implementation of a computer-assisted, interactive HRA with a focus on psychosocial health. Future developments in this area could benefit from systems thinking and insights from theoretical perspectives, such as sociotechnical system theory for joint optimization and responsible autonomy, with emphasis on both the technical and social aspects of HRA implementation. PMID:23253913

  13. Concept Maps: A Tool to Prepare for High Fidelity Simulation in Nursing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daley, Barbara J.; Beman, Sarah Black; Morgan, Sarah; Kennedy, Linda; Sheriff, Mandy

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the use of concept mapping as a method to prepare for high fidelity simulated learning experiences was investigated. Fourth year baccalaureate nursing students were taught how to use concept maps as a way to prepare for high fidelity simulated nursing experiences. Students prepared concept maps for two simulated experiences…

  14. Effects of Multidimensional Concept Maps on Fourth Graders' Learning in Web-Based Computer Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Hwa-Shan; Chiou, Chei-Chang; Chiang, Heien-Kun; Lai, Sung-Hsi; Huang, Chiun-Yen; Chou, Yin-Yu

    2012-01-01

    This study explores the effect of multidimensional concept mapping instruction on students' learning performance in a web-based computer course. The subjects consisted of 103 fourth graders from an elementary school in central Taiwan. They were divided into three groups: multidimensional concept map (MCM) instruction group, Novak concept map (NCM)…

  15. Concept Map Structure, Gender and Teaching Methods: An Investigation of Students' Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerstner, Sabine; Bogner, Franz X.

    2009-01-01

    Background: This study deals with the application of concept mapping to the teaching and learning of a science topic with secondary school students in Germany. Purpose: The main research questions were: (1) Do different teaching approaches affect concept map structure or students' learning success? (2) Is the structure of concept maps influenced…

  16. Using concept mapping to evaluate knowledge structure in problem-based learning.

    PubMed

    Hung, Chia-Hui; Lin, Chen-Yung

    2015-11-27

    Many educational programs incorporate problem-based learning (PBL) to promote students' learning; however, the knowledge structure developed in PBL remains unclear. The aim of this study was to use concept mapping to generate an understanding of the use of PBL in the development of knowledge structures. Using a quasi-experimental study design, we employed concept mapping to illustrate the effects of PBL by examining the patterns of concepts and differences in the knowledge structures of students taught with and without a PBL approach. Fifty-two occupational therapy undergraduates were involved in the study and were randomly divided into PBL and control groups. The PBL group was given two case scenarios for small group discussion, while the control group continued with ordinary teaching and learning. Students were asked to make concept maps after being taught about knowledge structure. A descriptive analysis of the morphology of concept maps was conducted in order to compare the integration of the students' knowledge structures, and statistical analyses were done to understand the differences between groups. Three categories of concept maps were identified as follows: isolated, departmental, and integrated. The students in the control group constructed more isolated maps, while the students in the PBL group tended toward integrated mapping. Concept Relationships, Hierarchy Levels, and Cross Linkages in the concept maps were significantly greater in the PBL group; however, examples of concept maps did not differ significantly between the two groups. The data indicated that PBL had a strong effect on the acquisition and integration of knowledge. The important properties of PBL, including situational learning, problem spaces, and small group interactions, can help students to acquire more concepts, achieve an integrated knowledge structure, and enhance clinical reasoning.

  17. Incorporating Concept Mapping in Project-Based Learning: Lessons from Watershed Investigations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rye, James; Landenberger, Rick; Warner, Timothy A.

    2013-06-01

    The concept map tool set forth by Novak and colleagues is underutilized in education. A meta-analysis has encouraged teachers to make extensive use of concept mapping, and researchers have advocated computer-based concept mapping applications that exploit hyperlink technology. Through an NSF sponsored geosciences education grant, middle and secondary science teachers participated in professional development to apply computer-based concept mapping in project-based learning (PBL) units that investigated local watersheds. Participants attended a summer institute, engaged in a summer through spring online learning academy, and presented PBL units at a subsequent fall science teachers' convention. The majority of 17 teachers who attended the summer institute had previously used the concept mapping strategy with students and rated it highly. Of the 12 teachers who continued beyond summer, applications of concept mapping ranged from collaborative planning of PBL projects to building students' vocabulary to students producing maps related to the PBL driving question. Barriers to the adoption and use of concept mapping included technology access at the schools, lack of time for teachers to advance their technology skills, lack of student motivation to choose to learn, and student difficulty with linking terms. In addition to mitigating the aforementioned barriers, projects targeting teachers' use of technology tools may enhance adoption by recruiting teachers as partners from schools as well as a small number that already are proficient in the targeted technology and emphasizing the utility of the concept map as a planning tool.

  18. Accurate estimation of short read mapping quality for next-generation genome sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Ruffalo, Matthew; Koyutürk, Mehmet; Ray, Soumya; LaFramboise, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    Motivation: Several software tools specialize in the alignment of short next-generation sequencing reads to a reference sequence. Some of these tools report a mapping quality score for each alignment—in principle, this quality score tells researchers the likelihood that the alignment is correct. However, the reported mapping quality often correlates weakly with actual accuracy and the qualities of many mappings are underestimated, encouraging the researchers to discard correct mappings. Further, these low-quality mappings tend to correlate with variations in the genome (both single nucleotide and structural), and such mappings are important in accurately identifying genomic variants. Approach: We develop a machine learning tool, LoQuM (LOgistic regression tool for calibrating the Quality of short read mappings, to assign reliable mapping quality scores to mappings of Illumina reads returned by any alignment tool. LoQuM uses statistics on the read (base quality scores reported by the sequencer) and the alignment (number of matches, mismatches and deletions, mapping quality score returned by the alignment tool, if available, and number of mappings) as features for classification and uses simulated reads to learn a logistic regression model that relates these features to actual mapping quality. Results: We test the predictions of LoQuM on an independent dataset generated by the ART short read simulation software and observe that LoQuM can ‘resurrect’ many mappings that are assigned zero quality scores by the alignment tools and are therefore likely to be discarded by researchers. We also observe that the recalibration of mapping quality scores greatly enhances the precision of called single nucleotide polymorphisms. Availability: LoQuM is available as open source at http://compbio.case.edu/loqum/. Contact: matthew.ruffalo@case.edu. PMID:22962451

  19. And then the internet happened: Thoughts on the future of concept mapping.

    PubMed

    McLinden, Daniel

    2017-02-01

    Over 25 years ago, in the late twentieth century, concept mapping emerged as a mixed method approach to inquiry that enables a group of people to conceptualize their thinking about a specific topic. Since then, the application of concept mapping has spread widely and an easy prediction for the future is that this trend is likely to continue; a more important and greater challenge is to think about the ways in which concept mapping may and should evolve. Discussed here are thoughts about the future of concept mapping including some predictions of likely directions and suggestions for new possibilities. Thoughts on the future are grounded in concept mapping applications that have emerged and gained ground in recent years; these include exploring wicked problems in communities and integrating concept mapping with other methods of inquiry. Thoughts on the future are also grounded in the social and cultural milieu in which we find ourselves at this time. The influence of social media and internet technologies has led to the emergence peer production and crowdsourcing as approaches to co-create information, knowledge, products and services. These tactics may create fertile ground for the further spread of concept mapping. This same collaborative milieu has produced the open software movement which in turn, offers opportunities to enhancing the methodology of concept mapping. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Mapping Cultural Ecosystem Services in Vilnius using Hot-Spot Analysis.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pereira, Paulo; Depellegrin, Daniel; Egarter-Vigl, Lukas; Oliva, Marc; Misiune, Ieva; Keesstra, Saskia; Estebaranz, Ferran; Cerda, Artemi

    2017-04-01

    Cultural services in urban areas are very important to promote tourism activities and develop the economy. These activities are fundamental for the sustainability of the urban areas since can represent an important monetary source. However, one of the major threats to the sustainability of cultural services is the high amount of visitants that can lead to a degradation of the services provided (Depellegrin et al., 2016). Mapping the potential of cultural ecosystems services is fundamental to assess the capacity that the territory have to provide it. Previous works used land use classification to identify the ecosystem services potential, and revealed to be a good methodology to attribute to each type of land use a specific capacity (Burkhard et al., 2008). The objective of this work is to map the cultural services in Vilnius area using a hot-spot analysis. Ecosystem services potential was assessed using the matrix developed by Burkhard et al. (2009), which ranks ES capacity from 0= no capacity to 5=very high relevant capacity to a different land use type. The results showed that with the exception of Cultural Heritage ecosystem services that had a random pattern (Z-score=0.62, p<0.530), all the others had clustered pattern: Recreation and Tourism (Z-score=4.02, p<0.001), Landscape Aesthetics (Z-score=4.44, p<0.001), Knowledge Systems (Z-score=4.15, p<0.001), Religious and Spiritual (Z-score=3.80, p<0.001) and Natural Heritage (Z-score=5.64, p<0.001). The incremental Moran's I result showed that Recreation and Tourism ecosystem services had the maximum spatial correlation at the distance of 5125.12 m, Landscape Aesthetics at 3495.70 m, Knowledge Systems at 5218.66 m, Religious and Spiritual at 3495.70 m, Cultural Heritage at 6746.17 m and Natural Heritage at 6205.82 m. This showed that the cultural services studied have a different spatial correlation. References Burkhard B, Kroll F, Müller F, Windhorst W. 2009. Landscapes' capacities to provide ecosystem services- a concept for land-cover based assessments. Landscape Online. 15, 1-22. Depellegrin, D.A., Pereira, P., Misiune, I., Egarter-Vigl, L. Mapping Ecosystem Services potential in Lithuania. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 23, 441-455.

  1. Using concept maps in a modified team-based learning exercise.

    PubMed

    Knollmann-Ritschel, Barbara E C; Durning, Steven J

    2015-04-01

    Medical school education has traditionally been driven by single discipline teaching and assessment. Newer medical school curricula often implement an organ-based approach that fosters integration of basic science and clinical disciplines. Concept maps are widely used in education. Through diagrammatic depiction of a variety of concepts and their specific connections with other ideas, concept maps provide a unique perspective into learning and performance that can complement other assessment methods commonly used in medical schools. In this innovation, we describe using concepts maps as a vehicle for a modified a classic Team-Based Learning (TBL) exercise. Modifications to traditional TBL in our innovation included replacing an individual assessment using multiple-choice questions with concept maps as well as combining the group assessment and application exercise whereby teams created concept maps. These modifications were made to further assess understanding of content across the Fundamentals module (the introductory module of the preclerkship curriculum). While preliminary, student performance and feedback from faculty and students support the use of concept maps in TBL. Our findings suggest concept maps can provide a unique means of determining assessment of learning and generating feedback to students. Concept maps can also demonstrate knowledge acquisition, organization of prior and new knowledge, and synthesis of that knowledge across disciplines in a unique way providing an additional means of assessment in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  2. Semantic Mappings and Locality of Nursing Diagnostic Concepts in UMLS

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Tae Youn; Coenen, Amy; Hardiker, Nicholas

    2011-01-01

    One solution for enhancing the interoperability between nursing information systems, given the availability of multiple nursing terminologies, is to cross-map existing nursing concepts. The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) developed and distributed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a knowledge resource containing cross-mappings of various terminologies in a unified framework. While the knowledge resource has been available for the last two decades, little research on the representation of nursing terminologies in UMLS has been conducted. As a first step, UMLS semantic mappings and concept locality were examined for nursing diagnostic concepts or problems selected from three terminologies (i.e., CCC, ICNP, and NANDA-I) along with corresponding SNOMED CT concepts. The evaluation of UMLS semantic mappings was conducted by measuring the proportion of concordance between UMLS and human expert mappings. The semantic locality of nursing diagnostic concepts was assessed by examining the associations of select concepts and the placement of the nursing concepts on the Semantic Network and Group. The study found that the UMLS mappings of CCC and NANDA-I concepts to SNOMED CT were highly concordant to expert mappings. The level of concordance in mappings of ICNP to SNOMED CT, CCC and NANDA-I within UMLS was relatively low, indicating the need for further research and development. Likewise, the semantic locality of ICNP concepts could be further improved. Various stakeholders need to collaborate to enhance the NLM knowledge resource and the interoperability of nursing data within the discipline as well as across health-related disciplines. PMID:21951759

  3. Exploring the Interactive Patterns of Concept Map-Based Online Discussion: A Sequential Analysis of Users' Operations, Cognitive Processing, and Knowledge Construction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Sheng-Yi; Chen, Sherry Y.; Hou, Huei-Tse

    2016-01-01

    Concept maps can be used as a cognitive tool to assist learners' knowledge construction. However, in a concept map-based online discussion environment, studies that take into consideration learners' manipulative actions of composing concept maps, cognitive process among learners' discussion, and social knowledge construction at the same time are…

  4. The Effects of Integrating Computer-Based Concept Mapping for Physics Learning in Junior High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Cheng-Chieh; Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Shih, Chang-Ming

    2016-01-01

    It generally is accepted that concept mapping has a noticeable impact on learning. But literatures show the use of concept mapping is not benefit all learners. The present study explored the effects of incorporating computer-based concept mapping in physics instruction. A total of 61 9th-grade students participated in this study. By using a…

  5. Perspectives on the strategic uses of concept mapping to address public health challenges.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Lynda A; Slonim, Amy

    2017-02-01

    We examine the adaptation of approaches used to plan and implement the steps of concept mapping to meet specialized needs and requirements in several public health projects. Seven published concept mapping projects are detailed to document how each of the phases were modified to meet the specific aims of each project. Concept mapping was found to be a useful tool to complement public health roles such as assessment, program development, and priority setting. The phases of concept mapping allow for a blending of diverse perspectives, which is critical to public health efforts. The adaptability of concept mapping permits the use of multiple modalities such as the addition of face-to-face brainstorming; use of qualitative methods, including structured interviews; and review and use of published literature and guidelines. Another positive aspect of concept mapping for public health practice is its ability to identify program elements, provide a visual map of generated ideas and their relationships to one another, and assist in identifying priorities. Our reflections on the adaptability should help inform another generation in designing concept mapping projects and related products that may benefit from unique adaptations and the rapidly expanding social media technology and platforms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Concept Mapping as a Learning Tool for the Employment Relations Degree

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez-Canas, Ricardo; Ruiz-Palomino, Pablo

    2011-01-01

    Concept mapping is a technique to represent relationships between concepts that can help students to improve their meaningful learning. Using the cognitive theories proposed by Ausubel (1968), concept maps can help instructors and students to enhance their logical thinking and study skills by revealing connections among concepts that can simplify…

  7. Concept Mapping as a Tool to Develop and Measure Students' Understanding in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tan, Sema; Erdimez, Omer; Zimmerman, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Concept maps measured a student's understanding of the complexity of concepts, and interrelationships. Novak and Gowin (1984) claimed that the continuous use of concept maps increased the complexity and interconnectedness of students' understanding of relationships between concepts in a particular science domain. This study has two purposes; the…

  8. Making clinical case-based learning in veterinary medicine visible: analysis of collaborative concept-mapping processes and reflections.

    PubMed

    Khosa, Deep K; Volet, Simone E; Bolton, John R

    2014-01-01

    The value of collaborative concept mapping in assisting students to develop an understanding of complex concepts across a broad range of basic and applied science subjects is well documented. Less is known about students' learning processes that occur during the construction of a concept map, especially in the context of clinical cases in veterinary medicine. This study investigated the unfolding collaborative learning processes that took place in real-time concept mapping of a clinical case by veterinary medical students and explored students' and their teacher's reflections on the value of this activity. This study had two parts. The first part investigated the cognitive and metacognitive learning processes of two groups of students who displayed divergent learning outcomes in a concept mapping task. Meaningful group differences were found in their level of learning engagement in terms of the extent to which they spent time understanding and co-constructing knowledge along with completing the task at hand. The second part explored students' and their teacher's views on the value of concept mapping as a learning and teaching tool. The students' and their teacher's perceptions revealed congruent and contrasting notions about the usefulness of concept mapping. The relevance of concept mapping to clinical case-based learning in veterinary medicine is discussed, along with directions for future research.

  9. How does creating a concept map affect item-specific encoding?

    PubMed

    Grimaldi, Phillip J; Poston, Laurel; Karpicke, Jeffrey D

    2015-07-01

    Concept mapping has become a popular learning tool. However, the processes underlying the task are poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the effect of creating a concept map on the processing of item-specific information. In 2 experiments, subjects learned categorized or ad hoc word lists by making pleasantness ratings, sorting words into categories, or creating a concept map. Memory was tested using a free recall test and a recognition memory test, which is considered to be especially sensitive to item-specific processing. Typically, tasks that promote item-specific processing enhance free recall of categorized lists, relative to category sorting. Concept mapping resulted in lower recall performance than both the pleasantness rating and category sorting condition for categorized words. Moreover, concept mapping resulted in lower recognition memory performance than the other 2 tasks. These results converge on the conclusion that creating a concept map disrupts the processing of item-specific information. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  10. The Effectiveness of Concept Maps in Teaching Physics Concepts Applied to Engineering Education: Experimental Comparison of the Amount of Learning Achieved with and without Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez, Guadalupe; Perez, Angel Luis; Suero, Maria Isabel; Pardo, Pedro J.

    2013-01-01

    A study was conducted to quantify the effectiveness of concept maps in learning physics in engineering degrees. The following research question was posed: What was the difference in learning results from the use of concept maps to study a particular topic in an engineering course? The study design was quasi-experimental and used a post-test as a…

  11. Fuzzification of continuous-value spatial evidence for mineral prospectivity mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yousefi, Mahyar; Carranza, Emmanuel John M.

    2015-01-01

    Complexities of geological processes portrayed as certain feature in a map (e.g., faults) are natural sources of uncertainties in decision-making for exploration of mineral deposits. Besides natural sources of uncertainties, knowledge-driven (e.g., fuzzy logic) mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) is also plagued and incurs further uncertainty in subjective judgment of analyst when there is no reliable proven value of evidential scores corresponding to relative importance of geological features that can directly be measured. In this regard, analysts apply expert opinion to assess relative importance of spatial evidences as meaningful decision support. This paper aims for fuzzification of continuous spatial data used as proxy evidence to facilitate and to support fuzzy MPM to generate exploration target areas for further examination of undiscovered deposits. In addition, this paper proposes to adapt the concept of expected value to further improve fuzzy logic MPM because the analysis of uncertain variables can be presented in terms of their expected value. The proposed modified expected value approach to MPM is not only a multi-criteria approach but it also treats uncertainty of geological processes a depicted by maps or spatial data in term of biased weighting more realistically in comparison with classified evidential maps because fuzzy membership scores are defined continuously whereby, for example, there is no need to categorize distances from evidential features to proximity classes using arbitrary intervals. The proposed continuous weighting approach and then integrating the weighted evidence layers by using modified expected value function, described in this paper can be used efficiently in either greenfields or brownfields.

  12. Computer-Assisted Concept Mapping: Visual Aids for Knowledge Construction.

    PubMed

    Mammen, Jennifer R

    2016-07-01

    Concept mapping is a visual representation of ideas that facilitates critical thinking and is applicable to many areas of nursing education. Computer-assisted concept maps are more flexible and less constrained than traditional paper methods, allowing for analysis and synthesis of complex topics and larger amounts of data. Ability to iteratively revise and collaboratively create computerized maps can contribute to enhanced interpersonal learning. However, there is limited awareness of free software that can support these types of applications. This educational brief examines affordances and limitations of computer-assisted concept maps and reviews free software for development of complex, collaborative malleable maps. Free software, such as VUE, XMind, MindMaple, and others, can substantially contribute to the utility of concept mapping for nursing education. Computerized concept-mapping is an important tool for nursing and is likely to hold greater benefit for students and faculty than traditional pen-and-paper methods alone. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(7):403-406.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  13. Creative Concept Mapping.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, David S.

    2002-01-01

    Recommends the use of concept mapping in science teaching and proposes that it be presented as a creative activity. Includes a sample lesson plan of a potato stamp concept mapping activity for astronomy. (DDR)

  14. Effectiveness of a Low-Cost, Graduate Student-Led Intervention on Study Habits and Performance in Introductory Biology.

    PubMed

    Hoskins, Tyler D; Gantz, J D; Chaffee, Blake R; Arlinghaus, Kel; Wiebler, James; Hughes, Michael; Fernandes, Joyce J

    2017-01-01

    Institutions have developed diverse approaches that vary in effectiveness and cost to improve student performance in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. We developed a low-cost, graduate student-led, metacognition-based study skills course taught in conjunction with the introductory biology series at Miami University. Our approach aimed to improve performance for underachieving students by combining an existing framework for the process of learning (the study cycle) with concrete tools (outlines and concept maps) that have been shown to encourage deep understanding. To assess the effectiveness of our efforts, we asked 1) how effective our voluntary recruitment model was at enrolling the target cohort, 2) how the course impacted performance on lecture exams, 3) how the course impacted study habits and techniques, and 4) whether there are particular study habits or techniques that are associated with large improvements on exam scores. Voluntary recruitment attracted only 11-17% of our target cohort. While focal students improved on lecture exams relative to their peers who did not enroll, gains were relatively modest, and not all students improved. Further, although students across both semesters of our study reported improved study habits (based on pre and post surveys) and on outlines and concept maps (based on retrospectively scored assignments), gains were more dramatic in the Fall semester. Multivariate models revealed that, while changes in study habits and in the quality of outlines and concept maps were weakly associated with change in performance on lecture exams, relationships were only significant in the Fall semester and were sometimes counterintuitive. Although benefits of the course were offset somewhat by the inefficiency of voluntary recruitment, we demonstrate the effectiveness our course, which is inexpensive to implement and has advantage of providing pedagogical experience to future educators. © 2017 T. D. Hoskins et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  15. An effective self-assessment based on concept map extraction from test-sheet for personalized learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liew, Keng-Hou; Lin, Yu-Shih; Chang, Yi-Chun; Chu, Chih-Ping

    2013-12-01

    Examination is a traditional way to assess learners' learning status, progress and performance after a learning activity. Except the test grade, a test sheet hides some implicit information such as test concepts, their relationships, importance, and prerequisite. The implicit information can be extracted and constructed a concept map for considering (1) the test concepts covered in the same question means these test concepts have strong relationships, and (2) questions in the same test sheet means the test concepts are relative. Concept map has been successfully employed in many researches to help instructors and learners organize relationships among concepts. However, concept map construction depends on experts who need to take effort and time for the organization of the domain knowledge. In addition, the previous researches regarding to automatic concept map construction are limited to consider all learners of a class, which have not considered personalized learning. To cope with this problem, this paper proposes a new approach to automatically extract and construct concept map based on implicit information in a test sheet. Furthermore, the proposed approach also can help learner for self-assessment and self-diagnosis. Finally, an example is given to depict the effectiveness of proposed approach.

  16. The Power and Benefits of Concept Mapping: Measuring Use, Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Satisfaction. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freeman, Lee A.; Jessup, Leonard M.

    2004-01-01

    The power and benefits of concept mapping rest in four arenas: enabling shared understanding, the inclusion of affect, the balance of power, and client involvement. Concept mapping theory and research indicate concept maps (1) are appropriate tools to assist with communication, (2) are easy to use, and (3) are seen as beneficial by their users. An…

  17. The Effects of a Concept Map-Based Support Tool on Simulation-Based Inquiry Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagemans, Mieke G.; van der Meij, Hans; de Jong, Ton

    2013-01-01

    Students often need support to optimize their learning in inquiry learning environments. In 2 studies, we investigated the effects of adding concept-map-based support to a simulation-based inquiry environment on kinematics. The concept map displayed the main domain concepts and their relations, while dynamic color coding of the concepts displayed…

  18. Comparative Effects of Computer-Based Concept Maps, Refutational Texts, and Expository Texts on Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adesope, Olusola O.; Cavagnetto, Andy; Hunsu, Nathaniel J.; Anguiano, Carlos; Lloyd, Joshua

    2017-01-01

    This study used a between-subjects experimental design to examine the effects of three different computer-based instructional strategies (concept map, refutation text, and expository scientific text) on science learning. Concept maps are node-link diagrams that show concepts as nodes and relationships among the concepts as labeled links.…

  19. Concept Maps for Improved Science Reasoning and Writing: Complexity Isn’t Everything

    PubMed Central

    Dowd, Jason E.; Duncan, Tanya; Reynolds, Julie A.

    2015-01-01

    A pervasive notion in the literature is that complex concept maps reflect greater knowledge and/or more expert-like thinking than less complex concept maps. We show that concept maps used to structure scientific writing and clarify scientific reasoning do not adhere to this notion. In an undergraduate course for thesis writers, students use concept maps instead of traditional outlines to define the boundaries and scope of their research and to construct an argument for the significance of their research. Students generate maps at the beginning of the semester, revise after peer review, and revise once more at the end of the semester. Although some students revised their maps to make them more complex, a significant proportion of students simplified their maps. We found no correlation between increased complexity and improved scientific reasoning and writing skills, suggesting that sometimes students simplify their understanding as they develop more expert-like thinking. These results suggest that concept maps, when used as an intervention, can meet the varying needs of a diverse population of student writers. PMID:26538388

  20. An Annotated Bibliography of Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, GNA

    2008-01-01

    A rich narrative-style bibliography of concept mapping (reviewing six articles published between 1992-2005). Articles reviewed include: (1) Cognitive mapping: A qualitative research method for social work (C. Bitoni); (2) Collaborative concept mapping: Provoking and supporting meaningful discourse (C. Boxtel, J. Linden, E. Roelofs, and G. Erkens);…

  1. Using concept mapping for assessing and promoting relational conceptual change in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Xiufeng

    2004-05-01

    In this article, we adopted the relational conceptual change as our theoretical framework to accommodate current views of conceptual change such as ontological beliefs, epistemological commitment, and social/affective contexts commonly mentioned in the literature. We used a specific concept mapping format and process - digraphs and digraphing - as an operational framework for assessing and promoting relational conceptual change. We wanted to find out how concept mapping can be used to account for relational conceptual change. We collected data from a Grade 12 chemistry class using collaborative computerized concept mapping on an ongoing basis during a unit of instruction. Analysis of progressive concept maps and interview transcripts of representative students and the teacher showed that ongoing and collaborative computerized concept mapping is able to account for student conceptual change in ontological, epistemological, and social/affective domains.

  2. The use of concept mapping in measurement development and evaluation: Application and future directions.

    PubMed

    Rosas, Scott R; Ridings, John W

    2017-02-01

    The past decade has seen an increase of measurement development research in social and health sciences that featured the use of concept mapping as a core technique. The purpose, application, and utility of concept mapping have varied across this emerging literature. Despite the variety of uses and range of outputs, little has been done to critically review how researchers have approached the application of concept mapping in the measurement development and evaluation process. This article focuses on a review of the current state of practice regarding the use of concept mapping as methodological tool in this process. We systematically reviewed 23 scale or measure development and evaluation studies, and detail the application of concept mapping in the context of traditional measurement development and psychometric testing processes. Although several limitations surfaced, we found several strengths in the contemporary application of the method. We determined concept mapping provides (a) a solid method for establishing content validity, (b) facilitates researcher decision-making, (c) insight into target population perspectives that are integrated a priori, and (d) a foundation for analytical and interpretative choices. Based on these results, we outline how concept mapping can be situated in the measurement development and evaluation processes for new instrumentation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Evidence-Based Concept Mapping for the Athletic Training Student

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Speicher, Timothy E.; Martin, Malissa; Zigmont, Jason

    2013-01-01

    Context: A concept map is a graphical and cognitive tool that enables learners to link together interrelated concepts using propositions or statements that answer a posed problem. As an assessment tool, concept mapping reveals a learner's research skill proficiency and cognitive processing. Background: The identification and organization of the…

  4. Concept Mapping: Developing Guides to Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leahy, Robert

    1989-01-01

    Concept maps, diagrams that show the relationships among concepts in a piece of writing, can help students travel through literature to destinations that they can identify and defend. The use of concept maps for Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea" and Albert Camus'"The Stranger" is described. (MLW)

  5. Concept Mapping: A Graphical System for Understanding the Relationship between Concepts. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plotnick, Eric

    This ERIC Digest discusses concept mapping, a technique for representing the structure of information visually. Concept mapping can be used to brainstorm, design complex structures, communicate complex ideas, aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge, and assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding. Visual representation…

  6. Using Concept Maps to Assess Interdisciplinary Integration of Green Engineering Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borrego, Maura; Newswander, Chad B.; McNair, Lisa D.; McGinnis, Sean; Paretti, Marie C.

    2009-01-01

    Engineering education, like many fields, has started to explore the benefits of concept maps as an assessment technique for knowledge integration. Because they allow students to graphically link topics and represent complex interconnections among diverse concepts, we argue that concept maps are particularly appropriate for assessing…

  7. Concept Mapping for Critical Thinking: Efficacy, Timing, & Type

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Charles M.; Zha, Shenghua

    2017-01-01

    Many college students are not progressing in the development of their critical thinking skills. Concept mapping is a technique for facilitating validation of one's critical thinking by graphically depicting the structure of complex concepts. Each of our three studies of concept mapping involved approximately 240 students enrolled in four sections…

  8. Mapping Conceptual Understanding of Algebraic Concepts: An Exploratory Investigation Involving Grade 8 Chinese Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Haiyue; Wong, Khoon Yoong

    2015-01-01

    Conceptual understanding is a major aim of mathematics education, and concept map has been used in non-mathematics research to uncover the relations among concepts held by students. This article presents the results of using concept map to assess conceptual understanding of basic algebraic concepts held by a group of 48 grade 8 Chinese students.…

  9. The Articulation of Integration of Clinical and Basic Sciences in Concept Maps: Differences between Experienced and Resident Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vink, Sylvia; van Tartwijk, Jan; Verloop, Nico; Gosselink, Manon; Driessen, Erik; Bolk, Jan

    2016-01-01

    To determine the content of integrated curricula, clinical concepts and the underlying basic science concepts need to be made explicit. Preconstructed concept maps are recommended for this purpose. They are mainly constructed by experts. However, concept maps constructed by residents are hypothesized to be less complex, to reveal more tacit basic…

  10. Security risk assessment: applying the concepts of fuzzy logic.

    PubMed

    Bajpai, Shailendra; Sachdeva, Anish; Gupta, J P

    2010-01-15

    Chemical process industries (CPI) handling hazardous chemicals in bulk can be attractive targets for deliberate adversarial actions by terrorists, criminals and disgruntled employees. It is therefore imperative to have comprehensive security risk management programme including effective security risk assessment techniques. In an earlier work, it has been shown that security risk assessment can be done by conducting threat and vulnerability analysis or by developing Security Risk Factor Table (SRFT). HAZOP type vulnerability assessment sheets can be developed that are scenario based. In SRFT model, important security risk bearing factors such as location, ownership, visibility, inventory, etc., have been used. In this paper, the earlier developed SRFT model has been modified using the concepts of fuzzy logic. In the modified SRFT model, two linguistic fuzzy scales (three-point and four-point) are devised based on trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Human subjectivity of different experts associated with previous SRFT model is tackled by mapping their scores to the newly devised fuzzy scale. Finally, the fuzzy score thus obtained is defuzzyfied to get the results. A test case of a refinery is used to explain the method and compared with the earlier work.

  11. Can Mapping Algorithms Based on Raw Scores Overestimate QALYs Gained by Treatment? A Comparison of Mappings Between the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the EQ-5D-3L Based on Raw and Differenced Score Data.

    PubMed

    Madan, Jason; Khan, Kamran A; Petrou, Stavros; Lamb, Sarah E

    2017-05-01

    Mapping algorithms are increasingly being used to predict health-utility values based on responses or scores from non-preference-based measures, thereby informing economic evaluations. We explored whether predictions in the EuroQol 5-dimension 3-level instrument (EQ-5D-3L) health-utility gains from mapping algorithms might differ if estimated using differenced versus raw scores, using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMQ), a widely used health status measure for low back pain, as an example. We estimated algorithms mapping within-person changes in RMQ scores to changes in EQ-5D-3L health utilities using data from two clinical trials with repeated observations. We also used logistic regression models to estimate response mapping algorithms from these data to predict within-person changes in responses to each EQ-5D-3L dimension from changes in RMQ scores. Predicted health-utility gains from these mappings were compared with predictions based on raw RMQ data. Using differenced scores reduced the predicted health-utility gain from a unit decrease in RMQ score from 0.037 (standard error [SE] 0.001) to 0.020 (SE 0.002). Analysis of response mapping data suggests that the use of differenced data reduces the predicted impact of reducing RMQ scores across EQ-5D-3L dimensions and that patients can experience health-utility gains on the EQ-5D-3L 'usual activity' dimension independent from improvements captured by the RMQ. Mappings based on raw RMQ data overestimate the EQ-5D-3L health utility gains from interventions that reduce RMQ scores. Where possible, mapping algorithms should reflect within-person changes in health outcome and be estimated from datasets containing repeated observations if they are to be used to estimate incremental health-utility gains.

  12. Concept mapping learning strategy to enhance students' mathematical connection ability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hafiz, M.; Kadir, Fatra, Maifalinda

    2017-05-01

    The concept mapping learning strategy in teaching and learning mathematics has been investigated by numerous researchers. However, there are still less researchers who have scrutinized about the roles of map concept which is connected to the mathematical connection ability. Being well understood on map concept, it may help students to have ability to correlate one concept to other concept in order that the student can solve mathematical problems faced. The objective of this research was to describe the student's mathematical connection ability and to analyze the effect of using concept mapping learning strategy to the students' mathematical connection ability. This research was conducted at senior high school in Jakarta. The method used a quasi-experimental with randomized control group design with the total number was 72 students as the sample. Data obtained through using test in the post-test after giving the treatment. The results of the research are: 1) Students' mathematical connection ability has reached the good enough level category; 2) Students' mathematical connection ability who had taught with concept mapping learning strategy is higher than who had taught with conventional learning strategy. Based on the results above, it can be concluded that concept mapping learning strategycould enhance the students' mathematical connection ability, especially in trigonometry.

  13. Translating Research Reports into Educational Materials or How To Take a Neat Piece of Research and Turn It into a Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brody, Michael J.

    The rationale and procedures involved with the instructional strategies of concept mapping and Gowin's Vee Mapping are provided in this paper. Specific directives are outlined for building concept maps and vee maps. Examples of both types of these maps are given and explanations are offered on their form and use. Concepts and activities…

  14. Student concepts of Natural Selection from a resource-based perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benjamin, Scott Shawn

    The past two decades have produced a substantial amount of research about the teaching and learning of evolution; however, recent research often lacks a theoretical foundation. Application of a new theoretical framework could help fill the void and improve research about student concepts of evolution. This study seeks to show that a resource-based framework (Hammer et al., 2005) can improve research into student concepts of natural selection. Concepts of natural selection from urban community college students were assessed via qualitative (interviews, written open-response questions, and write/think aloud procedures) and quantitative methods (coded open response analysis, Concept Inventory for Natural Selection (CINS)(Anderson, Fisher, & Norman, 2002). Results showed that students demonstrate four important aspects of resource-based framework: the multi-faceted construction of concepts, context sensitivity/ concept flexibility, at-the-moment activation of resources, and perceptual frames. In open response assessment, evolutionary-gain responses produced significantly different responses than evolutionary-loss questions with: 1) significantly more correct answers for the gain than loss question (Wilcoxon signed rank test, z = -3.68, p=0.0002); 2) more Lamarckian responses to loss than the gain question (Fisher exact, p=0.0039); and significantly different distributions in expanded need vs basic need answers (Fishers exact, p = 0.02). Results from CINS scores showed significant differences in post activity scores between students that held different naive concepts associated with origin of variation, origin of species, differential reproduction, and limited survival suggesting that some naive ideas facilitate learning. Outcomes also suggest that an everyday or self-experience typological perceptual frame is an underlying source of many incorrect ideas about evolution. Interview and write/think aloud assessments propose four process resources applied by students as they explain evolutionary change: list what I know, why story, compare past to present, mapping self-experience. The study concludes that a resource-based framework is a valuable tool to advance the study student concepts of natural selection.

  15. The Effect of Concept Maps on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Critical Thinking.

    PubMed

    Garwood, Janet K; Ahmed, Azza H; McComb, Sara A

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy on students' critical thinking abilities and examine students' perceptions toward concept maps utilizing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Researchers have found that almost two thirds of nurse graduates do not have adequate critical thinking skills for a beginner nurse. Critical thinking skills are required for safe practice and mandated by accrediting organizations. Nursing educators should consider teaching and learning strategies that promote the development of critical thinking skills. A literature review was conducted using "concept maps, nursing education, and critical thinking" as the combined search terms. Inclusion criteria were studies that measured the effects of concept mapping on critical thinking in nursing students. Seventeen articles were identified. Concept maps may be useful tools to promote critical thinking in nursing education and for applying theory to practice.

  16. The power and benefits of concept mapping: measuring use, usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freeman, Lee A.; Jessup, Leonard M.

    2004-02-01

    The power and benefits of concept mapping rest in four arenas: enabling shared understanding, the inclusion of affect, the balance of power, and client involvement. Concept mapping theory and research indicate concept maps (1) are appropriate tools to assist with communication, (2) are easy to use, and (3) are seen as beneficial by their users. An experiment was conducted to test these assertions and analyze the power and benefits of concept mapping using a typical business consulting scenario involving 16 groups of two individuals. The results were analyzed via empirical hypothesis testing and protocol analyses, and indicate an overall support of the theory and prior research and additional support of new measures of usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction by both parties. A more thorough understanding of concept mapping is gained and available to future practitioners and researchers.

  17. Using Concept Maps to Teach a Nanotechnology Survey Short Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moyses, David D.; Rivet, Jennifer L.; Fahlman, Bradley D.

    2010-01-01

    We describe the use of concept maps within a 4-week nanotechnology survey course, designed for first-year undergraduate students. Because of the extremely short time frame of the class, students would be inundated with an overwhelming number of new concepts and definitions. Hence, we employed concept mapping to increase student retention and…

  18. Concept Landscapes: Aggregating Concept Maps for Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mühling, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    This article presents "concept landscapes"--a novel way of investigating the state and development of knowledge structures in groups of persons using concept maps. Instead of focusing on the assessment and evaluation of single maps, the data of many persons is aggregated and data mining approaches are used in analysis. New insights into…

  19. Concept Maps Applied to Mars Exploration Public Outreach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Briggs, Geoffrey; Canas, Alberto; Shamma, David; Scargle, Jeffrey; Novak, Joseph

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes CMEX Mars, an effort in the creation of a comprehensive set of concept maps to describe all aspects of Mars exploration. These concept maps, created using the CmapTools software developed by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, are available on the Internet at http:/cmex.arc.nasa.gov/CMEX and are linked among themselves as well as to resources on the Internet. The work described took place mainly between 1998 and 2001 and combined the goals of: 1) developing a library of concept maps for educational outreach while also 2) refining the capabilities of the software used to create the interactive maps and 3) making them available on the Internet. Here we focus on the library of Mars exploration concept maps that has been created.

  20. Similarity and accuracy of mental models formed during nursing handovers: A concept mapping approach.

    PubMed

    Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Broyer, Chaya; Dagan, Efrat

    2017-09-01

    Shared mental models are crucial for constructing mutual understanding of the patient's condition during a clinical handover. Yet, scant research, if any, has empirically explored mental models of the parties involved in a clinical handover. This study aimed to examine the similarities among mental models of incoming and outgoing nurses, and to test their accuracy by comparing them with mental models of expert nurses. A cross-sectional study, exploring nurses' mental models via the concept mapping technique. 40 clinical handovers. Data were collected via concept mapping of the incoming, outgoing, and expert nurses' mental models (total of 120 concept maps). Similarity and accuracy for concepts and associations indexes were calculated to compare the different maps. About one fifth of the concepts emerged in both outgoing and incoming nurses' concept maps (concept similarity=23%±10.6). Concept accuracy indexes were 35%±18.8 for incoming and 62%±19.6 for outgoing nurses' maps. Although incoming nurses absorbed fewer number of concepts and associations (23% and 12%, respectively), they partially closed the gap (35% and 22%, respectively) relative to expert nurses' maps. The correlations between concept similarities, and incoming as well as outgoing nurses' concept accuracy, were significant (r=0.43, p<0.01; r=0.68 p<0.01, respectively). Finally, in 90% of the maps, outgoing nurses added information concerning the processes enacted during the shift, beyond the expert nurses' gold standard. Two seemingly contradicting processes in the handover were identified. "Information loss", captured by the low similarity indexes among the mental models of incoming and outgoing nurses; and "information restoration", based on accuracy measures indexes among the mental models of the incoming nurses. Based on mental model theory, we propose possible explanations for these processes and derive implications for how to improve a clinical handover. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Fostering clinical reasoning in physiotherapy: comparing the effects of concept map study and concept map completion after example study in novice and advanced learners.

    PubMed

    Montpetit-Tourangeau, Katherine; Dyer, Joseph-Omer; Hudon, Anne; Windsor, Monica; Charlin, Bernard; Mamede, Sílvia; van Gog, Tamara

    2017-12-01

    Health profession learners can foster clinical reasoning by studying worked examples presenting fully worked out solutions to a clinical problem. It is possible to improve the learning effect of these worked examples by combining them with other learning activities based on concept maps. This study investigated which combinaison of activities, worked examples study with concept map completion or worked examples study with concept map study, fosters more meaningful learning of intervention knowledge in physiotherapy students. Moreover, this study compared the learning effects of these learning activity combinations between novice and advanced learners. Sixty-one second-year physiotherapy students participated in the study which included a pre-test phase, a 130-min guided-learning phase and a four-week self-study phase. During the guided and self-study learning sessions, participants had to study three written worked examples presenting the clinical reasoning for selecting electrotherapeutic currents to treat patients with motor deficits. After each example, participants engaged in either concept map completion or concept map study depending on which learning condition they were randomly allocated to. Students participated in an immediate post-test at the end of the guided-learning phase and a delayed post-test at the end of the self-study phase. Post-tests assessed the understanding of principles governing the domain of knowledge to be learned (conceptual knowledge) and the ability to solve new problems that have similar (i.e., near transfer) or different (i.e., far transfer) solution rationales as problems previously studied in the examples. Learners engaged in concept map completion outperformed those engaged in concept map study on near transfer (p = .010) and far transfer (p < .001) performance. There was a significant interaction effect of learners' prior ability and learning condition on conceptual knowledge but not on near and far transfer performance. Worked examples study combined with concept map completion led to greater transfer performance than worked examples study combined with concept map study for both novice and advanced learners. Concept map completion might give learners better insight into what they have and have not yet learned, allowing them to focus on those aspects during subsequent example study.

  2. Concept mapping and network analysis: an analytic approach to measure ties among constructs.

    PubMed

    Goldman, Alyssa W; Kane, Mary

    2014-12-01

    Group concept mapping is a mixed-methods approach that helps a group visually represent its ideas on a topic of interest through a series of related maps. The maps and additional graphics are useful for planning, evaluation and theory development. Group concept maps are typically described, interpreted and utilized through points, clusters and distances, and the implications of these features in understanding how constructs relate to one another. This paper focuses on the application of network analysis to group concept mapping to quantify the strength and directionality of relationships among clusters. The authors outline the steps of this analysis, and illustrate its practical use through an organizational strategic planning example. Additional benefits of this analysis to evaluation projects are also discussed, supporting the overall utility of this supplemental technique to the standard concept mapping methodology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Using a concept map as a tool for strategic planning: The Healthy Brain Initiative.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Lynda A; Day, Kristine L; Vandenberg, Anna E

    2011-09-01

    Concept mapping is a tool to assist in strategic planning that allows planners to work through a sequence of phases to produce a conceptual framework. Although several studies describe how concept mapping is applied to various public health problems, the flexibility of the methods used in each phase of the process is often overlooked. If practitioners were more aware of the flexibility, more public health endeavors could benefit from using concept mapping as a tool for strategic planning. The objective of this article is to describe how the 6 concept-mapping phases originally outlined by William Trochim guided our strategic planning process and how we adjusted the specific methods in the first 2 phases to meet the specialized needs and requirements to create The Healthy Brain Initiative: A National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health. In the first stage (phases 1 and 2 of concept mapping), we formed a steering committee, convened 4 work groups over a period of 3 months, and generated an initial set of 42 action items grounded in science. In the second stage (phases 3 and 4), we engaged stakeholders in sorting and rating the action items and constructed a series of concept maps. In the third and final stage (phases 5 and 6), we examined and refined the action items and generated a final concept map consisting of 44 action items. We then selected the top 10 action items, and in 2007, we published The Healthy Brain Initiative: A National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health, which represents the strategic plan for The Healthy Brain Initiative.

  4. Assessing Changes in High School Students' Conceptual Understanding through Concept Maps before and after the Computer-Based Predict-Observe-Explain (CB-POE) Tasks on Acid-Base Chemistry at the Secondary Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yaman, Fatma; Ayas, Alipasa

    2015-01-01

    Although concept maps have been used as alternative assessment methods in education, there has been an ongoing debate on how to evaluate students' concept maps. This study discusses how to evaluate students' concept maps as an assessment tool before and after 15 computer-based Predict-Observe-Explain (CB-POE) tasks related to acid-base chemistry.…

  5. Comparing Two Forms of Concept Map Critique Activities to Facilitate Knowledge Integration Processes in Evolution Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwendimann, Beat A.; Linn, Marcia C.

    2016-01-01

    Concept map activities often lack a subsequent revision step that facilitates knowledge integration. This study compares two collaborative critique activities using a Knowledge Integration Map (KIM), a form of concept map. Four classes of high school biology students (n?=?81) using an online inquiry-based learning unit on evolution were assigned…

  6. An Experiment in Mind-Mapping and Argument-Mapping: Tools for Assessing Outcomes in the Business Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gargouri, Chanaz; Naatus, Mary Kate

    2017-01-01

    Distinguished from other teaching-learning tools, such as mind and concept mapping in which students draw pictures and concepts and show relationships and correlation between them to demonstrate their own understanding of complex concepts, argument mapping is used to demonstrate clarity of reasoning, based on supporting evidence, and come to a…

  7. Concept Maps: Practice Applications in Adult Education and Human Resource Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daley, Barbara J.

    2010-01-01

    Concept maps can be used as both a cognitive and constructivist learning strategy in teaching and learning in adult education and human resource development. The maps can be used to understand course readings, analyze case studies, develop reflective thinking and enhance research skills. The creation of concept maps can also be supported by the…

  8. Concept Maps in Introductory Statistics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witmer, Jeffrey A.

    2016-01-01

    Concept maps are tools for organizing thoughts on the main ideas in a course. I present an example of a concept map that was created through the work of students in an introductory class and discuss major topics in statistics and relationships among them.

  9. Prior Knowledge Activation: How Different Concept Mapping Tasks Lead to Substantial Differences in Cognitive Processes, Learning Outcomes, and Perceived Self-Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gurlitt, Johannes; Renkl, Alexander

    2010-01-01

    Two experiments investigated the effects of characteristic features of concept mapping used for prior knowledge activation. Characteristic demands of concept mapping include connecting lines representing the relationships between concepts and labeling these lines, specifying the type of the semantic relationships. In the first experiment,…

  10. Automatic Scaffolding and Measurement of Concept Mapping for EFL Students to Write Summaries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Yu-Fen

    2015-01-01

    An incorrect concept map may obstruct a student's comprehension when writing summaries if they are unable to grasp key concepts when reading texts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of automatic scaffolding and measurement of three-layer concept maps on improving university students' writing summaries. The automatic…

  11. Effects of Concept Mapping Strategy on Learning Performance in Business and Economics Statistics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiou, Chei-Chang

    2009-01-01

    A concept map (CM) is a hierarchically arranged, graphic representation of the relationships among concepts. Concept mapping (CMING) is the process of constructing a CM. This paper examines whether a CMING strategy can be useful in helping students to improve their learning performance in a business and economics statistics course. A single…

  12. The Use of Concept Map as a Consolidation Phase Based STAD to Enhance Students’ Comprehension about Environmental Pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nugroho, O. F.; Chandra, D. T.; Sanjaya, Y.; Pendidikan Indonesia, Universitas

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to improve students’ concept comprehension using concept map as a consolidation phase based STAD. This study was conducted by randomized control group pretest-posttest. Data was collected by using an instrument test to evaluate the effect of concept map as a consolidation phase based STAD on students’understanding about environmental pollution. Data was analyzed using normalized gain (n-gain) and independent t-test. The n-gain analysis shows the increased of students’s understanding about environmental pollution at experimental group arehigher than at the control group. The result of this study showed that students’ comprehension at the experimental class (0,53) higher compared to the control group (0,23). Whilst the t-test analysis shows that there is a significant effect of mapping concept as a consolidation phase based STAD towards students’ concept comprehension. It can be concluded that the implementation of mapping concept based STAD may improve the students’s understanding on science concept.

  13. Quality and rigor of the concept mapping methodology: a pooled study analysis.

    PubMed

    Rosas, Scott R; Kane, Mary

    2012-05-01

    The use of concept mapping in research and evaluation has expanded dramatically over the past 20 years. Researchers in academic, organizational, and community-based settings have applied concept mapping successfully without the benefit of systematic analyses across studies to identify the features of a methodologically sound study. Quantitative characteristics and estimates of quality and rigor that may guide for future studies are lacking. To address this gap, we conducted a pooled analysis of 69 concept mapping studies to describe characteristics across study phases, generate specific indicators of validity and reliability, and examine the relationship between select study characteristics and quality indicators. Individual study characteristics and estimates were pooled and quantitatively summarized, describing the distribution, variation and parameters for each. In addition, variation in the concept mapping data collection in relation to characteristics and estimates was examined. Overall, results suggest concept mapping yields strong internal representational validity and very strong sorting and rating reliability estimates. Validity and reliability were consistently high despite variation in participation and task completion percentages across data collection modes. The implications of these findings as a practical reference to assess the quality and rigor for future concept mapping studies are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. An overview of concept mapping in Dutch mental health care.

    PubMed

    Nabitz, Udo; van Randeraad-van der Zee, Carlijn; Kok, Ineke; van Bon-Martens, Marja; Serverens, Peter

    2017-02-01

    About 25 years ago, concept mapping was introduced in the Netherlands and applied in different fields. A collection of concept mapping projects conducted in the Netherlands was identified, in part in the archive of the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute). Some of the 90 identified projects are internationally published. The 90 concept mapping projects reflect the changes in mental health care and can be grouped into 5-year periods and into five typologies. The studies range from conceptualizing the problems of the homeless to the specification of quality indicators for treatment programs for patients with cystic fibrosis. The number of concept mapping projects has varied over time. Growth has been considerable in the last 5 years compared to the previous 5 years. Three case studies are described in detail with 12 characteristics and graphical representations. Concept mapping aligns well with the typical Dutch approach of the "Poldermodel." A broad introduction of concept mapping in European countries in cooperation with other countries, such as the United States and Canada, would strengthen the empirical basis for applying this approach in health care policy, quality, and clinical work. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Example-based learning: comparing the effects of additionally providing three different integrative learning activities on physiotherapy intervention knowledge.

    PubMed

    Dyer, Joseph-Omer; Hudon, Anne; Montpetit-Tourangeau, Katherine; Charlin, Bernard; Mamede, Sílvia; van Gog, Tamara

    2015-03-07

    Example-based learning using worked examples can foster clinical reasoning. Worked examples are instructional tools that learners can use to study the steps needed to solve a problem. Studying worked examples paired with completion examples promotes acquisition of problem-solving skills more than studying worked examples alone. Completion examples are worked examples in which some of the solution steps remain unsolved for learners to complete. Providing learners engaged in example-based learning with self-explanation prompts has been shown to foster increased meaningful learning compared to providing no self-explanation prompts. Concept mapping and concept map study are other instructional activities known to promote meaningful learning. This study compares the effects of self-explaining, completing a concept map and studying a concept map on conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills among novice learners engaged in example-based learning. Ninety-one physiotherapy students were randomized into three conditions. They performed a pre-test and a post-test to evaluate their gains in conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills (transfer performance) in intervention selection. They studied three pairs of worked/completion examples in a digital learning environment. Worked examples consisted of a written reasoning process for selecting an optimal physiotherapy intervention for a patient. The completion examples were partially worked out, with the last few problem-solving steps left blank for students to complete. The students then had to engage in additional self-explanation, concept map completion or model concept map study in order to synthesize and deepen their knowledge of the key concepts and problem-solving steps. Pre-test performance did not differ among conditions. Post-test conceptual knowledge was higher (P < .001) in the concept map study condition (68.8 ± 21.8%) compared to the concept map completion (52.8 ± 17.0%) and self-explanation (52.2 ± 21.7%) conditions. Post-test problem-solving performance was higher (P < .05) in the self-explanation (63.2 ± 16.0%) condition compared to the concept map study (53.3 ± 16.4%) and concept map completion (51.0 ± 13.6%) conditions. Students in the self-explanation condition also invested less mental effort in the post-test. Studying model concept maps led to greater conceptual knowledge, whereas self-explanation led to higher transfer performance. Self-explanation and concept map study can be combined with worked example and completion example strategies to foster intervention selection.

  16. Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Technology & Learning, 2005

    2005-01-01

    Concept maps are graphical ways of working with ideas and presenting information. They reveal patterns and relationships and help students to clarify their thinking, and to process, organize and prioritize. Displaying information visually--in concept maps, word webs, or diagrams--stimulates creativity. Being able to think logically teaches…

  17. Concept maps and language: a Turkish experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bagci Kilic, Gulsen

    2003-11-01

    Concept maps are being used by an increasing number of educators in Europe and the US. This paper has four goals. First, it discusses problems in developing Novak's style concept maps in Turkish caused by linguistic differences between Turkish and English. Second, it reports the findings of a research study conducted to adapt concept maps to Turkish. Third, it recommends three methods for the adaptation resulting from research findings. Finally, it discusses the implications of the adaptation for educators worldwide and for future research.

  18. Concept Mapping in the Humanities to Facilitate Reflection: Externalizing the Relationship between Public and Personal Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kandiko, Camille; Hay, David; Weller, Saranne

    2013-01-01

    This article discusses how mapping techniques were used in university teaching in a humanities subject. The use of concept mapping was expanded as a pedagogical tool, with a focus on reflective learning processes. Data were collected through a longitudinal study of concept mapping in a university-level Classics course. This was used to explore how…

  19. [Exploratory study of clinical reasoning in nursing students with concept mapping].

    PubMed

    Paucard-Dupont, Sylvie; Marchand, Claire

    2014-06-01

    The training reference leading to the state nursing diploma places the learning of clinical reasoning at the center of the training. We have been wondering about the possibilities of making visible the student nurse's mental processes when they provide nursing care in order to identify their strategies and reasoning difficulties. It turns out that concept mapping is a research tool capable of showing these two aspects. The aim of this study is to verify a concept mapping made during an interview and built from the speech of a nursing student when analyzing a simulated clinical situation, is able to make visible its strategies clinical reasoning and reasoning difficulties. In a second phase of it, is to explore how the concept map once elaborated allows students to identify their own intellectual reasoning. 12 nursing second year students have participated in the study. Concept maps were constructed by the trainer/researcher as the students analyzed aloud a simulated clinical situation written. Concept maps were analyzed from a reference grid. Interviews were conducted following the elaboration of concept maps and student's comments were analyzed. Students reasoning strategies were either mixed inductive dominant (5/12) or hypothetical-deductive dominant (5/12). Reasoning difficulties identified are related to the lack of identification of important information, the lack of analysis of data, lack of connection or the existence of faulty links. Analysis of the comments highlights that concept mapping contributed to the development of metacognitive skills. The concept mapping has shown benefits in contributing to a diagnostic assessment of clinical reasoning learning. It is an additional resource tool to facilitate the development of metacognitive skills for students. This tool can be useful to implement support learning strategies in clinical reasoning.

  20. Using Concept Maps to Monitor Knowledge Structure Changes in a Science Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Leah J.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this research is to determine what differences may exist in students' structural knowledge while using a variety of concept mapping assessments. A concept map can be used as an assessment which connects concepts in a knowledge domain. A single assessment may not be powerful enough to establish how students' new knowledge relates to…

  1. Concept Mapping as a Reading Strategy: Does It Scaffold Comprehension and Recall?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tajeddin, Zia; Tabatabaei, Soudabeh

    2016-01-01

    Concept maps reflect the linkage of concepts or facts within a text. This study was set out to investigate whether concept mapping as a learning strategy would have any scaffolding effect on the reading comprehension and recall of propositions by L2 learners. Out of 60 high school students, 30 in the experimental group were exposed to concept…

  2. A Study to Determine the Contribution Made by Concept Maps to a Computer Architecture and Organization Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydogan, Tuncay; Ergun, Serap

    2016-01-01

    Concept mapping is a method of graphical learning that can be beneficial as a study method for concept linking and organization. Concept maps, which provide an elegant, easily understood representation of an expert's domain knowledge, are tools for organizing and representing knowledge. These tools have been used in educational environments to…

  3. Exploring the Effects of Employing Google Docs in Collaborative Concept Mapping on Achievement, Concept Representation, and Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Yu-Tzu; Chang, Chia-Hu; Hou, Huei-Tse; Wu, Ke-Chou

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effectiveness of using Google Docs in collaborative concept mapping (CCM) by comparing it with a paper-and-pencil approach. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in a physics course. The control group drew concept maps using the paper-and-pencil method and face-to-face discussion, whereas the experimental group…

  4. Exploring how students think: a new method combining think-aloud and concept mapping protocols.

    PubMed

    Pottier, Pierre; Hardouin, Jean-Benoit; Hodges, Brian D; Pistorius, Marc-Antoine; Connault, Jérome; Durant, Cécile; Clairand, Renaud; Sebille, Véronique; Barrier, Jacques-Henri; Planchon, Bernard

    2010-09-01

    A key element of medical competence is problem solving. Previous work has shown that doctors use inductive reasoning to progress from facts to hypotheses and deductive reasoning to move from hypotheses to the gathering of confirmatory information. No individual assessment method has been designed to quantify the use of inductive and deductive procedures within clinical reasoning. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility and reliability of a new method which allows for the rapid identification of the style (inductive or deductive) of clinical reasoning in medical students and experts. The study included four groups of four participants. These comprised groups of medical students in Years 3, 4 and 5 and a group of specialists in internal medicine, all at a medical school with a 6-year curriculum in France. Participants were asked to solve four clinical problems by thinking aloud. The thinking expressed aloud was immediately transcribed into concept maps by one or two 'writers' trained to distinguish inductive and deductive links. Reliability was assessed by estimating the inter-writer correlation. The calculated rate of inductive reasoning, the richness score and the rate of exhaustiveness of reasoning were compared according to the level of expertise of the individual and the type of clinical problem. The total number of maps drawn amounted to 32 for students in Year 4, 32 for students in Year 5, 16 for students in Year 3 and 16 for experts. A positive correlation was found between writers (R = 0.66-0.93). Richness scores and rates of exhaustiveness of reasoning did not differ according to expertise level. The rate of inductive reasoning varied as expected according to the nature of the clinical problem and was lower in experts (41% versus 67%). This new method showed good reliability and may be a promising tool for the assessment of medical problem-solving skills, giving teachers a means of diagnosing how their students think when they are confronted with clinical problems.

  5. Use of Technology-Assisted Techniques of Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping in Science Education: A Constructivist Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balim, Ali Günay

    2013-01-01

    The study aims to investigate the effects of using mind maps and concept maps on students' learning of concepts in science courses. A total of 51 students participated in this study which used a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test/post-test control groups. The constructivist-inspired study was carried out in the sixth-grade science…

  6. Representation of Nursing Terminologies in UMLS

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Tae Youn; Coenen, Amy; Hardiker, Nicholas; Bartz, Claudia C.

    2011-01-01

    There are seven nursing terminologies or classifications that are considered a standard to support nursing practice in the U.S. Harmonizing these terminologies will enhance the interoperability of clinical data documented across nursing practice. As a first step to harmonize the nursing terminologies, the purpose of this study was to examine how nursing problems or diagnostic concepts from select terminologies were cross-mapped in Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). A comparison analysis was conducted by examining whether cross-mappings available in UMLS through concept unique identifiers were consistent with cross-mappings conducted by human experts. Of 423 concepts from three terminologies, 411 (97%) were manually cross-mapped by experts to the International Classification for Nursing Practice. The UMLS semantic mapping among the 411 nursing concepts presented 33.6% accuracy (i.e., 138 of 411 concepts) when compared to expert cross-mappings. Further research and collaboration among experts in this field are needed for future enhancement of UMLS. PMID:22195127

  7. Docking pose selection by interaction pattern graph similarity: application to the D3R grand challenge 2015

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slynko, Inna; Da Silva, Franck; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier

    2016-09-01

    High affinity ligands for a given target tend to share key molecular interactions with important anchoring amino acids and therefore often present quite conserved interaction patterns. This simple concept was formalized in a topological knowledge-based scoring function (GRIM) for selecting the most appropriate docking poses from previously X-rayed interaction patterns. GRIM first converts protein-ligand atomic coordinates (docking poses) into a simple 3D graph describing the corresponding interaction pattern. In a second step, proposed graphs are compared to that found from template structures in the Protein Data Bank. Last, all docking poses are rescored according to an empirical score (GRIMscore) accounting for overlap of maximum common subgraphs. Taking the opportunity of the public D3R Grand Challenge 2015, GRIM was used to rescore docking poses for 36 ligands (6 HSP90α inhibitors, 30 MAP4K4 inhibitors) prior to the release of the corresponding protein-ligand X-ray structures. When applied to the HSP90α dataset, for which many protein-ligand X-ray structures are already available, GRIM provided very high quality solutions (mean rmsd = 1.06 Å, n = 6) as top-ranked poses, and significantly outperformed a state-of-the-art scoring function. In the case of MAP4K4 inhibitors, for which preexisting 3D knowledge is scarce and chemical diversity is much larger, the accuracy of GRIM poses decays (mean rmsd = 3.18 Å, n = 30) although GRIM still outperforms an energy-based scoring function. GRIM rescoring appears to be quite robust with comparison to the other approaches competing for the same challenge (42 submissions for the HSP90 dataset, 27 for the MAP4K4 dataset) as it ranked 3rd and 2nd respectively, for the two investigated datasets. The rescoring method is quite simple to implement, independent on a docking engine, and applicable to any target for which at least one holo X-ray structure is available.

  8. Science Teachers' Use of a Concept Map Marking Guide as a Formative Assessment Tool for the Concept of Energy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Won, Mihye; Krabbe, Heiko; Ley, Siv Ling; Treagust, David F.; Fischer, Hans E.

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the value of a concept map marking guide as an alternative formative assessment tool for science teachers to adopt for the topic of energy. Eight high school science teachers marked students' concept maps using an itemized holistic marking guide. Their marking was compared with the researchers' marking and the scores…

  9. Integrative Literature Review: Concept Mapping--A Strategy to Support the Development of Practice, Research, and Theory within Human Resource Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daley, Barbara J.; Conceicao, Simone C. O.; Mina, Liliana; Altman, Brian A.; Baldor, Maria; Brown, James

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this integrative literature review is to summarize research on concept mapping and to offer ideas on how concept mapping can facilitate practice, research, and theory development within human resource development. In this review, more than 300 articles, written in both English and Spanish, presented at two different concept mapping…

  10. The Effectiveness of Concept Mapping and Retrieval Practice as Learning Strategies in an Undergraduate Physiology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burdo, Joseph; O'Dwyer, Laura

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping and retrieval practice are both educational methods that have separately been reported to provide significant benefits for learning in diverse settings. Concept mapping involves diagramming a hierarchical representation of relationships between distinct pieces of information, whereas retrieval practice involves retrieving…

  11. Can Good Concept Mappers Be Good Problem Solvers in Science?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

    1992-01-01

    Describes a study of concept mapping as a means of learning problem-solving skills. Concludes that the concept mapping subjects were significantly more successful at solving biological test questions than were the controls. Reports no significant differences between cooperative and individual mapping and mixed results for gender. (DK)

  12. Concept Mapping and Pupils' Learning in Primary Science in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ling, Yuan; Boo, Hong Kwen

    2007-01-01

    This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study which examined the effectiveness of concept mapping as a revision tool in enhancing pupils' examination performances in primary science. The research objective seeks to determine whether there are significant differences in achievement between the concept mapping and traditional method of revision…

  13. Analyzing the Effects of Various Concept Mapping Techniques on Learning Achievement under Different Learning Styles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiou, Chei-Chang; Lee, Li-Tze; Tien, Li-Chu; Wang, Yu-Min

    2017-01-01

    This study explored the effectiveness of different concept mapping techniques on the learning achievement of senior accounting students and whether achievements attained using various techniques are affected by different learning styles. The techniques are computer-assisted construct-by-self-concept mapping (CACSB), computer-assisted…

  14. Concept Mapping Improves Metacomprehension Accuracy among 7th Graders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Redford, Joshua S.; Thiede, Keith W.; Wiley, Jennifer; Griffin, Thomas D.

    2012-01-01

    Two experiments explored concept map construction as a useful intervention to improve metacomprehension accuracy among 7th grade students. In the first experiment, metacomprehension was marginally better for a concept mapping group than for a rereading group. In the second experiment, metacomprehension accuracy was significantly greater for a…

  15. Concept Mapping Strategies: Content, Tools and Assessment for Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wehry, Stephanie; Monroe-Ossi, Heather; Cobb, Sharon; Fountain, Cheryl

    2012-01-01

    This article examines the use of concept mapping for formative and summative assessment of northeast Florida middle school students' knowledge of human geography. The students were participants in an afterschool, academic, college reach-out program that provided opportunities to test concept mapping strategies that support spatial thinking and…

  16. The Effect of Using Concept Maps in Elementary Linear Algebra Course on Students’ Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Syarifuddin, H.

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents the results of a classroom action research that was done in Elementary Linear Algebra course at Universitas Negeri Padang. The focus of the research want to see the effect of using concept maps in the course on students’ learning. Data in this study were collected through classroom observation, students’ reflective journal and concept maps that were created by students. The result of the study was the using of concept maps in Elementary Linera Algebra course gave positive effect on students’ learning.

  17. Mind the gap! Automated concept map feedback supports students in writing cohesive explanations.

    PubMed

    Lachner, Andreas; Burkhart, Christian; Nückles, Matthias

    2017-03-01

    Many students are challenged with the demand of writing cohesive explanations. To support students in writing cohesive explanations, we developed a computer-based feedback tool that visualizes cohesion deficits of students' explanations in a concept map. We conducted three studies to investigate the effectiveness of such feedback as well as the underlying cognitive processes. In Study 1, we found that the concept map helped students identify potential cohesion gaps in their drafts and plan remedial revisions. In Study 2, students with concept map feedback conducted revisions that resulted in more locally and globally cohesive, and also more comprehensible, explanations than the explanations of students who revised without concept map feedback. In Study 3, we replicated the findings of Study 2 by and large. More importantly, students who had received concept map feedback on a training explanation 1 week later wrote a transfer explanation without feedback that was more cohesive than the explanation of students who had received no feedback on their training explanation. The automated concept map feedback appears to particularly support the evaluation phase of the revision process. Furthermore, the feedback enabled novice writers to acquire sustainable skills in writing cohesive explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Applying natural language processing techniques to develop a task-specific EMR interface for timely stroke thrombolysis: A feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Sung, Sheng-Feng; Chen, Kuanchin; Wu, Darren Philbert; Hung, Ling-Chien; Su, Yu-Hsiang; Hu, Ya-Han

    2018-04-01

    To reduce errors in determining eligibility for intravenous thrombolytic therapy (IVT) in stroke patients through use of an enhanced task-specific electronic medical record (EMR) interface powered by natural language processing (NLP) techniques. The information processing algorithm utilized MetaMap to extract medical concepts from IVT eligibility criteria and expanded the concepts using the Unified Medical Language System Metathesaurus. Concepts identified from clinical notes by MetaMap were compared to those from IVT eligibility criteria. The task-specific EMR interface displays IVT-relevant information by highlighting phrases that contain matched concepts. Clinical usability was assessed with clinicians staffing the acute stroke team by comparing user performance while using the task-specific and the current EMR interfaces. The algorithm identified IVT-relevant concepts with micro-averaged precisions, recalls, and F1 measures of 0.998, 0.812, and 0.895 at the phrase level and of 1, 0.972, and 0.986 at the document level. Users using the task-specific interface achieved a higher accuracy score than those using the current interface (91% versus 80%, p = 0.016) in assessing the IVT eligibility criteria. The completion time between the interfaces was statistically similar (2.46 min versus 1.70 min, p = 0.754). Although the information processing algorithm had room for improvement, the task-specific EMR interface significantly reduced errors in assessing IVT eligibility criteria. The study findings provide evidence to support an NLP enhanced EMR system to facilitate IVT decision-making by presenting meaningful and timely information to clinicians, thereby offering a new avenue for improvements in acute stroke care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. The Interplay among BMI z-Score, Peer Victmization, and Self-Concept in Outpatient Children and Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity.

    PubMed

    Bacchini, Dario; Licenziati, Maria Rosaria; Affuso, Gaetana; Garrasi, Alessandra; Corciulo, Nicola; Driul, Daniela; Tanas, Rita; Fiumani, Perla Maria; Di Pietro, Elena; Pesce, Sabino; Crinò, Antonino; Maltoni, Giulio; Iughetti, Lorenzo; Sartorio, Alessandro; Deiana, Manuela; Lombardi, Francesca; Valerio, Giuliana

    2017-06-01

    Research has provided evidence that obesity is associated with peer victimization and low levels of self-concept. No study has examined the relationship between BMI z-score, self-concept in multiple domains, and peer victimization. The aim of the research was to investigate the interplay between BMI z-score, self-concept in multiple domains (physical, athletic, social), and peer victimization, testing direct, mediated, and moderated associations. Eighty hundred fifteen outpatient children and adolescents were consecutively recruited in 14 hospitals distributed over the Italian country. The sample consisted of 419 males and 396 females; mean age 10.91 ± 1.97 years (range 6-14 years) and mean BMI z-score 1.85 ± 0.74 (range -0.97 ± 3.27). Peer victimization and self-concept were assessed with a revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and with the Self-Perception Profile for Children. A structural equation model approach was used to determine the associations among variables, testing two competing models. In both models, path analysis revealed that BMI z-score was directly associated with peer victimization and self-concept in multiple domains. In the first model, peer victimization mediated the relationship between BMI-score and self-concept, whereas in the alternative model, self-concept mediated the relationship between BMI z-score and peer victimization. Interaction analyses revealed that social competence moderated the relationship between BMI z-score and peer victimization and that peer victimization moderated the relationship between BMI z-score and physical appearance. Higher levels of BMI z-score are a risk factor for peer victimization and poor self-concept. When high levels of BMI z-score are associated with a negative self-concept, the risk of victimization increases. Preventive and supportive interventions are needed to avoid negative consequences on quality of life in children and adolescents with obesity.

  20. A Concept Hierarchy Based Ontology Mapping Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ying; Liu, Weiru; Bell, David

    Ontology mapping is one of the most important tasks for ontology interoperability and its main aim is to find semantic relationships between entities (i.e. concept, attribute, and relation) of two ontologies. However, most of the current methods only consider one to one (1:1) mappings. In this paper we propose a new approach (CHM: Concept Hierarchy based Mapping approach) which can find simple (1:1) mappings and complex (m:1 or 1:m) mappings simultaneously. First, we propose a new method to represent the concept names of entities. This method is based on the hierarchical structure of an ontology such that each concept name of entity in the ontology is included in a set. The parent-child relationship in the hierarchical structure of an ontology is then extended as a set-inclusion relationship between the sets for the parent and the child. Second, we compute the similarities between entities based on the new representation of entities in ontologies. Third, after generating the mapping candidates, we select the best mapping result for each source entity. We design a new algorithm based on the Apriori algorithm for selecting the mapping results. Finally, we obtain simple (1:1) and complex (m:1 or 1:m) mappings. Our experimental results and comparisons with related work indicate that utilizing this method in dealing with ontology mapping is a promising way to improve the overall mapping results.

  1. Relationship of nutrition and physical activity behaviors and fitness measures to academic performance for sixth graders in a midwest city school district.

    PubMed

    Edwards, Jane U; Mauch, Lois; Winkelman, Mark R

    2011-02-01

    To support curriculum and policy, a midwest city school district assessed the association of selected categories of nutrition and physical activity (NUTR/PA) behaviors, fitness measures, and body mass index (BMI) with academic performance (AP) for 800 sixth graders. Students completed an adapted Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (NUTR/PA behaviors), fitness assessments (mile run, curl-ups, push-ups, height, and weight) with results matched to standardized scores (Measures of Academic Progress [MAP]), meal price status, and gender. Differences in mean MAP scores (math and reading) were compared by selected categories of each variable utilizing 1-way analysis of variance. Associations were determined by stepwise multiple regression utilizing mean MAP scores (for math and for reading) as the dependent variable and NUTR/PA behaviors, fitness, and BMI categories as independent variables. Significance was set at α = 0.05. Higher MAP math scores were associated with NUTR (more milk and breakfast; less 100% fruit juice and sweetened beverages [SB]) and PA (increased vigorous PA and sports teams; reduced television), and fitness (higher mile run performance). Higher MAP reading scores were associated with NUTR (fewer SB) and PA (increased vigorous PA, reduced television). Regression analysis indicated about 11.1% of the variation in the mean MAP math scores and 6.7% of the mean MAP reading scores could be accounted for by selected NUTR/PA behaviors, fitness, meal price status, and gender. Many positive NUTR/PA behaviors and fitness measures were associated with higher MAP scores supporting the school district focus on healthy lifestyles. Additional factors, including meal price status and gender, contribute to AP. © 2011, Fargo Public School.

  2. Concept mapping to promote meaningful learning, help relate theory to practice and improve learning self-efficacy in Asian mental health nursing students: A mixed-methods pilot study.

    PubMed

    Bressington, Daniel T; Wong, Wai-Kit; Lam, Kar Kei Claire; Chien, Wai Tong

    2018-01-01

    Student nurses are provided with a great deal of knowledge within university, but they can find it difficult to relate theory to nursing practice. This study aimed to test the appropriateness and feasibility of assessing Novak's concept mapping as an educational strategy to strengthen the theory-practice link, encourage meaningful learning and enhance learning self-efficacy in nursing students. This pilot study utilised a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted in a University school of Nursing in Hong Kong. A total of 40 third-year pre-registration Asian mental health nursing students completed the study; 12 in the concept mapping (CM) group and 28 in the usual teaching methods (UTM) group. The impact of concept mapping was evaluated thorough analysis of quantitative changes in students' learning self-efficacy, analysis of the structure and contents of the concept maps (CM group), a quantitative measure of students' opinions about their reflective learning activities and content analysis of qualitative data from reflective written accounts (CM group). There were no significant differences in self-reported learning self-efficacy between the two groups (p=0.38). The concept mapping helped students identify their current level of understanding, but the increased awareness may cause an initial drop in learning self-efficacy. The results highlight that most CM students were able to demonstrate meaningful learning and perceived that concept mapping was a useful reflective learning strategy to help them to link theory and practice. The results provide preliminary evidence that the concept mapping approach can be useful to help mental health nursing students visualise their learning progress and encourage the integration of theoretical knowledge with clinical knowledge. Combining concept mapping data with quantitative measures and qualitative reflective journal data appears to be a useful way of assessing and understanding the effectiveness of concept mapping. Future studies should utilise a larger sample size and consider using the approach as a targeted intervention immediately before and during clinical learning placements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Adolescents Can Know Best: Using concept mapping to identify factors and pathways driving adolescent sexuality in Lima, Peru

    PubMed Central

    Bayer, Angela M.; Cabrera, Lilia Z.; Gilman, Robert H.; Hindin, Michelle J.; Tsui, Amy O.

    2011-01-01

    The primary objective of this study was to identify and describe individual- and environmental-level factors that Peruvian adolescents perceive to be related to adolescent sexuality. A series of concept mapping sessions were carried out from January-March 2006 with 63 15–17 year olds from a low-income community near Lima in order for adolescents to (1) brainstorm items that they thought were related to sexuality (2) sort, group and rate items to score their importance for sexuality-related outcomes, and (3) create pathways from the groups of items to engaging in sex. Brainstorming resulted in 61 items, which participants grouped into 11 clusters. The highest rated clusters were personal values, respect and confidence in relationships, future achievements and parent-child communication. The pathway of decision-making about having sex primarily contained items rated as only moderately important. This study identified important understudied factors, new perspectives on previously-recognized factors, and possible pathways to sexual behavior. These interesting, provocative findings underscore the importance of directly integrating adolescent voices into future sexual and reproductive health research, policies and programs that target this population. PMID:20382462

  4. Using Concept Maps in Political Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chamberlain, Robert P.

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping is a pedagogical technique that was developed in the 1970s and is being used in K-12 and postsecondary education. Although it has shown excellent results in other fields, it is still rare in political science. In this research note, I discuss the implementation and testing of concept mapping in my Advanced Introduction to…

  5. Quality and Rigor of the Concept Mapping Methodology: A Pooled Study Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosas, Scott R.; Kane, Mary

    2012-01-01

    The use of concept mapping in research and evaluation has expanded dramatically over the past 20 years. Researchers in academic, organizational, and community-based settings have applied concept mapping successfully without the benefit of systematic analyses across studies to identify the features of a methodologically sound study. Quantitative…

  6. Mapping Concepts for Learning and Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daugherty, Jenny L.; Custer, Rodney L.; Dixon, Raymond A.

    2012-01-01

    Although it is helpful to identify a list of concepts to categorize and communicate the big ideas of engineering, it is important to determine how best to incorporate them into instruction. Concept mapping is a well-established learning and assessment tool that can be used by technology and engineering teachers. Maps can trace levels of…

  7. Effects of Concept Mapping on Creativity in Photo Stories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simper, Natalie; Reeve, Richard; Kirby, J. R.

    2016-01-01

    This research tested the use of concept map planning to support the development of creativity in photo stories, hypothesizing that skills taught to support organization would improve creativity. Concept maps are a type of graphic organizer, used to represent an ordering of ideas with nodes and linking words that form propositional statements. They…

  8. How Does Creating a Concept Map Affect Item-Specific Encoding?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grimaldi, Phillip J.; Poston, Laurel; Karpicke, Jeffrey D.

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping has become a popular learning tool. However, the processes underlying the task are poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the effect of creating a concept map on the processing of item-specific information. In 2 experiments, subjects learned categorized or ad hoc word lists by making pleasantness ratings, sorting…

  9. An Investigation of the Value of Using Concept Maps in General Chemistry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicoll, Gayle; Francisco, Joseph; Nakhleh, Mary B.

    2001-01-01

    Reports on a qualitative investigation of the effects of integrating concept maps into freshman-level general chemistry curriculum. Indicates that students in the experimental section had significantly more links and nodes in their concept maps than students in the traditional section. There were no significant differences between the two sections…

  10. Comparison of 1:1 and 1:m CSCL Environment for Collaborative Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, C.-P.; Wong, L.-H.; Shao, Y.-J.

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports an investigation into the effects of collaborative concept mapping in a digital learning environment, in terms of students' overall learning gains, knowledge retention, quality of student artefacts (the collaboratively created concept maps), interactive patterns, and learning perceptions. Sixty-four 12-year-old students from two…

  11. An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Concept Mapping on Turkish Students' Academic Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erdogan, Yavuz

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the experimental studies which test the effectiveness of the concept mapping instructional strategy compared to the traditional teaching method. Meta-analysis was used to calculate the effect size of the concept mapping strategy on academic success. Therefore, the analysis includes experimental studies conducted in Turkey…

  12. Concept Maps Provide a Window onto Preservice Elementary Teachers' Knowledge in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chichekian, Tanya; Shore, Bruce M.

    2013-01-01

    This collaborative concept-mapping exercise was conducted in a second-year mathematics methods course. Teachers' visual representations of their mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge provided insight into their understanding of how students learn mathematics. We collected 28 preservice student teachers' concept maps and analyzed them by…

  13. Online Concept Maps: Enhancing Collaborative Learning by Using Technology with Concept Maps.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canas, Alberto J.; Ford, Kenneth M.; Novak, Joseph D.; Hayes, Patrick; Reichherzer, Thomas R.; Suri, Niranjan

    2001-01-01

    Describes a collaborative software system that allows students from distant schools to share claims derived from their concept maps. Sharing takes place by accessing The Knowledge Soup, a repository of propositions submitted by students and stored on a computer server. Students can use propositions from other students to enhance their concept…

  14. Teaching Topographic Map Skills and Geomorphology Concepts with Google Earth in a One-Computer Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Hsiao-Ping; Tsai, Bor-Wen; Chen, Che-Ming

    2018-01-01

    Teaching high-school geomorphological concepts and topographic map reading entails many challenges. This research reports the applicability and effectiveness of Google Earth in teaching topographic map skills and geomorphological concepts, by a single teacher, in a one-computer classroom. Compared to learning via a conventional instructional…

  15. Concept-Mapping Tools and the Development of Students' Critical-Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tseng, Sheng-Shiang

    2015-01-01

    Developing students' critical-thinking skills has recently received attention at all levels of education. This article proposes the use of concept-mapping tools to improve students' critical-thinking skills. The article introduces a Web-based concept-mapping tool--Popplet--and demonstrates its application for teaching critical-thinking skills in…

  16. Collaborative Concept Mapping Activities in a Classroom Scenario

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elorriaga, J. A.; Arruarte, A.; Calvo, I.; Larrañaga, M.; Rueda, U.; Herrán, E.

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study is to test collaborative concept mapping activities using computers in a classroom scenario and to evaluate the possibilities that Elkar-CM offers for collaboratively learning non-technical topics. Elkar-CM is a multi-lingual and multi-media software program designed for drawing concept maps (CMs) collaboratively. Concept…

  17. Mapping Knowledge: Concept Maps in Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Birbili, Maria

    2006-01-01

    Graphic organizers such as webs, time lines, Venn diagrams, flowcharts, and concept maps are well known and widely used instructional and learning tools. They help teachers and students not only to identify and visually represent their views and knowledge but also to recognize and depict relationships among concepts. This article discusses the use…

  18. See what we say: using concept mapping to visualize Latino immigrant's strategies for health interventions.

    PubMed

    Vaughn, Lisa M; Jacquez, Farrah; Marschner, Daniel; McLinden, Daniel

    2016-09-01

    Researchers need specific tools to engage community members in health intervention development to ensure that efforts are contextually appropriate for immigrant populations. The purpose of the study was to generate and prioritize strategies to address obesity, stress and coping, and healthcare navigation that are contextually appropriate and applicable to the Latino immigrant community in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then use the results to develop specific interventions to improve Latino health in our area. A community-academic research team used concept mapping methodology with over 200 Latino immigrants and Latino-serving providers. A community intervention planning session was held to share the final concept maps and vote on strategies. The concept maps and results from the intervention planning session emphasized a community lay health worker model to connect the Latino immigrant community with resources to address obesity, stress and coping, and healthcare navigation. Concept maps allowed for the visualization of health intervention strategies prioritized by the larger Latino immigrant community. Concept maps revealed the appropriate content for health interventions as well as the process community members preferred for intervention delivery.

  19. Impact of a concept map teaching approach on nursing students' critical thinking skills.

    PubMed

    Kaddoura, Mahmoud; Van-Dyke, Olga; Yang, Qing

    2016-09-01

    Nurses confront complex problems and decisions that require critical thinking in order to identify patient needs and implement best practices. An active strategy for teaching students the skills to think critically is the concept map. This study explores the development of critical thinking among nursing students in a required pathophysiology and pharmacology course during the first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in response to concept mapping as an interventional strategy, using the Health Education Systems, Incorporated critical thinking test. A two-group experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was used. Participants were randomly divided into a control group (n = 42) taught by traditional didactic lecturing alone, and an intervention group (n = 41), taught by traditional didactic lecturing with concept mapping. Students in the concept mapping group performed much better on the Health Education Systems, Incorporated than students in the control group. It is recommended that deans, program directors, and nursing faculties evaluate their curricula to integrate concept map teaching strategies in courses in order to develop critical thinking abilities in their students. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  20. Mapping the Diagnosis Axis of an Interface Terminology to the NANDA International Taxonomy

    PubMed Central

    Juvé Udina, Maria-Eulàlia; Gonzalez Samartino, Maribel; Matud Calvo, Cristina

    2012-01-01

    Background. Nursing terminologies are designed to support nursing practice but, as with any other clinical tool, they should be evaluated. Cross-mapping is a formal method for examining the validity of the existing controlled vocabularies. Objectives. The study aims to assess the inclusiveness and expressiveness of the nursing diagnosis axis of a newly implemented interface terminology by cross-mapping with the NANDA-I taxonomy. Design/Methods. The study applied a descriptive design, using a cross-sectional, bidirectional mapping strategy. The sample included 728 concepts from both vocabularies. Concept cross-mapping was carried out to identify one-to-one, negative, and hierarchical connections. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics. Results. Agreement of the raters' mapping achieved 97%. More than 60% of the nursing diagnosis concepts in the NANDA-I taxonomy were mapped to concepts in the diagnosis axis of the new interface terminology; 71.1% were reversely mapped. Conclusions. Main results for outcome measures suggest that the diagnosis axis of this interface terminology meets the validity criterion of cross-mapping when mapped from and to the NANDA-I taxonomy. PMID:22830046

  1. Mapping the Diagnosis Axis of an Interface Terminology to the NANDA International Taxonomy.

    PubMed

    Juvé Udina, Maria-Eulàlia; Gonzalez Samartino, Maribel; Matud Calvo, Cristina

    2012-01-01

    Background. Nursing terminologies are designed to support nursing practice but, as with any other clinical tool, they should be evaluated. Cross-mapping is a formal method for examining the validity of the existing controlled vocabularies. Objectives. The study aims to assess the inclusiveness and expressiveness of the nursing diagnosis axis of a newly implemented interface terminology by cross-mapping with the NANDA-I taxonomy. Design/Methods. The study applied a descriptive design, using a cross-sectional, bidirectional mapping strategy. The sample included 728 concepts from both vocabularies. Concept cross-mapping was carried out to identify one-to-one, negative, and hierarchical connections. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics. Results. Agreement of the raters' mapping achieved 97%. More than 60% of the nursing diagnosis concepts in the NANDA-I taxonomy were mapped to concepts in the diagnosis axis of the new interface terminology; 71.1% were reversely mapped. Conclusions. Main results for outcome measures suggest that the diagnosis axis of this interface terminology meets the validity criterion of cross-mapping when mapped from and to the NANDA-I taxonomy.

  2. A concept mapping approach to guide and understand dissemination and implementation.

    PubMed

    Green, Amy E; Fettes, Danielle L; Aarons, Gregory A

    2012-10-01

    Many efforts to implement evidence-based programs do not reach their full potential or fail due to the variety of challenges inherent in dissemination and implementation. This article describes the use of concept mapping-a mixed method strategy-to study implementation of behavioral health innovations and evidence-based practice (EBP). The application of concept mapping to implementation research represents a practical and concise way to identify and quantify factors affecting implementation, develop conceptual models of implementation, target areas to address as part of implementation readiness and active implementation, and foster communication among stakeholders. Concept mapping is described and a case example is provided to illustrate its use in an implementation study. Implications for the use of concept mapping methods in both research and applied settings towards the dissemination and implementation of behavioral health services are discussed.

  3. Collaborative and Multilingual Approach to Learn Database Topics Using Concept Maps

    PubMed Central

    Calvo, Iñaki

    2014-01-01

    Authors report on a study using the concept mapping technique in computer engineering education for learning theoretical introductory database topics. In addition, the learning of multilingual technical terminology by means of the collaborative drawing of a concept map is also pursued in this experiment. The main characteristics of a study carried out in the database subject at the University of the Basque Country during the 2011/2012 course are described. This study contributes to the field of concept mapping as these kinds of cognitive tools have proved to be valid to support learning in computer engineering education. It contributes to the field of computer engineering education, providing a technique that can be incorporated with several educational purposes within the discipline. Results reveal the potential that a collaborative concept map editor offers to fulfil the above mentioned objectives. PMID:25538957

  4. College students' understanding of stereochemistry: Difficulties in learning and critical junctures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyon, Gary Lester

    Because stereochemistry is an important part of both high school and college chemistry curricula, a study of difficulties experienced by students in the learning of stereochemistry was undertaken in a one-semester college organic chemistry course. This study, conducted over the course of two semesters with more than two hundred students, utilized clinical interviews, concept maps, and student journals to identify these difficulties, which were then tabulated and categorized. Although student journals were not a productive source of information, the types of difficulties that emerged from the concept maps were compared and contrasted with those that emerged from the clinical interviews. Data from the concept maps were analyzed using Kendall's W, a nonparametric statistic that was deemed appropriate for determining concordance between individual concept maps. The correlation between values of Kendall's W for sets of concept maps and multiple choice questions designed to evaluate the content of these same maps was determined, with values of Pearson's r of .8093 (p = .051) and .7191 (p = .044) for the Fall, 1997 and Spring, 1998 semesters, respectively. These data were used to estimate the occurrence of critical junctures in the learning of stereochemistry, or points at which students must possess a certain framework of understanding of previous concepts in order to master new material (Trowbridge & Wandersee, 1994). One critical juncture was identified that occurred when the topics of enantiorners, absolute configuration, and inversion of configuration were introduced. Among the more important conclusions of this study to the learning of stereochemistry are the following. Both concept maps and interviews provided useful information regarding difficulties in the learning of stereochemistry; this information was complementary in some aspects and similar in others. Concept maps were useful in diagnosing difficulties in application of terms and definitions, whereas interviews were useful when seeking information about difficulties in the manipulation of chemical structures. Both concept maps and interviews were superior to student journals as tools to probe student difficulties in the learning of stereochemistry.

  5. Converting Parkinson-Specific Scores into Health State Utilities to Assess Cost-Utility Analysis.

    PubMed

    Chen, Gang; Garcia-Gordillo, Miguel A; Collado-Mateo, Daniel; Del Pozo-Cruz, Borja; Adsuar, José C; Cordero-Ferrera, José Manuel; Abellán-Perpiñán, José María; Sánchez-Martínez, Fernando Ignacio

    2018-06-07

    The aim of this study was to compare the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8) with three multi-attribute utility (MAU) instruments (EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and 15D) and to develop mapping algorithms that could be used to transform PDQ-8 scores into MAU scores. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A final sample of 228 evaluable patients was included in the analyses. Sociodemographic and clinical data were also collected. Two EQ-5D questionnaires were scored using Spanish tariffs. Two models and three statistical techniques were used to estimate each model in the direct mapping framework for all three MAU instruments, including the most widely used ordinary least squares (OLS), the robust MM-estimator, and the generalized linear model (GLM). For both EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L, indirect response mapping based on an ordered logit model was also conducted. Three goodness-of-fit tests were employed to compare the models: the mean absolute error (MAE), the root-mean-square error (RMSE), and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) between the predicted and observed utilities. Health state utility scores ranged from 0.61 (EQ-5D-3L) to 0.74 (15D). The mean PDQ-8 score was 27.51. The correlation between overall PDQ-8 score and each MAU instrument ranged from - 0.729 (EQ-5D-5L) to - 0.752 (EQ-5D-3L). A mapping algorithm based on PDQ-8 items had better performance than using the overall score. For the two EQ-5D questionnaires, in general, the indirect mapping approach had comparable or even better performance than direct mapping based on MAE. Mapping algorithms developed in this study enable the estimation of utility values from the PDQ-8. The indirect mapping equations reported for two EQ-5D questionnaires will further facilitate the calculation of EQ-5D utility scores using other country-specific tariffs.

  6. Mapping Children--Mapping Space.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pick, Herbert L., Jr.

    Research is underway concerning the way the perception, conception, and representation of spatial layout develops. Three concepts are important here--space itself, frame of reference, and cognitive map. Cognitive map refers to a form of representation of the behavioral space, not paired associate or serial response learning. Other criteria…

  7. Sequential Pattern Analysis: Method and Application in Exploring How Students Develop Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Lin, Chien-Liang

    2012-01-01

    Concept mapping is a technique that represents knowledge in graphs. It has been widely adopted in science education and cognitive psychology to aid learning and assessment. To realize the sequential manner in which students develop concept maps, most research relies upon human-dependent, qualitative approaches. This article proposes a method for…

  8. Neighbourhood Analysis to Foster Meaningful Learning Using Concept Mapping in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Correia, P. R. M.; Cicuto, C. A. T.

    2014-01-01

    One critical aspect that hinders the systematic use of concept mapping in everyday classrooms is the difficulty of providing high-quality feedback to students so as to keep improving and revising their concept maps (Cmaps). The development of an innovative way to analyse, at a glance, students' Cmaps is presented to allow a diagnostic assessment…

  9. Concept Mapping Revisited: Nurturing Children's Writing Skills in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isabelle, Aaron

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping has long been used an assessment tool by educators to illustrate students' conceptual development of a topic over time. In this article, we chronicle the use of concept maps in a language arts environment. Focusing on a literacy tutoring program for struggling readers/writers centered on hands-on science experiments, we explain how…

  10. Applying Computerized Concept Maps in Guiding Pupils to Reason and Solve Mathematical Problems: The Design Rationale and Effect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, I-Ching; Hu, Shueh-Cheng

    2013-01-01

    The capability of solving fundamental mathematical problems is essential to elementary school students; however instruction based on ordinary narration usually perplexes students. Concept mapping is well known for its effectiveness on assimilating and organizing knowledge, which is essential to meaningful learning. A variety of concept map-based…

  11. Animated and Static Concept Maps Enhance Learning from Spoken Narration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adesope, Olusola O.; Nesbit, John C.

    2013-01-01

    An animated concept map represents verbal information in a node-link diagram that changes over time. The goals of the experiment were to evaluate the instructional effects of presenting an animated concept map concurrently with semantically equivalent spoken narration. The study used a 2 x 2 factorial design in which an animation factor (animated…

  12. Effective Reading Comprehension in EFL Contexts: Individual and Collaborative Concept Mapping Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riahi, Zahra; Pourdana, Natasha

    2017-01-01

    The present study attempted to investigate the possible impacts of Individual Concept Mapping (ICM) and Collaborative Concept Mapping (CCM) strategies on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. For this purpose, 90 pre-intermediate female language learners ranged between 12 to 17 years of age were selected to randomly assign into ICM, CCM and…

  13. Effectiveness of Concept Maps in Economics: Evidence from Australia and USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marangos, John; Alley, Sean

    2007-01-01

    This paper evaluates the effectiveness of concept maps as a teaching and learning tool in university level Principles of Microeconomics courses in Australia and USA. Concept mapping was incorporated in the teaching material in both courses at different countries and, at the end of the semester, the students completed a survey regarding the use,…

  14. Concept Mapping and Misconceptions: A Study of High-School Students' Understandings of Acids and Bases.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Bertram; And Others

    1991-01-01

    An investigation of students understandings of acids and bases using concept maps, multiple-choice tests, and clinical interviews is described. The methodology and resulting analysis are illustrated with two abbreviated case studies selected from the study. Discussion of concept mapping points to how it starkly represents gaps in the understanding…

  15. Using Concept Mapping as as Tool for Program Theory Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orsi, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this methodological study is to explore how well a process called "concept mapping" (Trochim, 1989) can articulate the theory which underlies a social program. Articulation of a program's theory is a key step in completing a sound theory based evaluation (Weiss, 1997a). In this study, concept mapping is used to…

  16. Investigating the Use of ICT-Based Concept Mapping Techniques on Creativity in Literacy Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riley, Nigel R.; Ahlberg, Mauri

    2004-01-01

    The key research question in this small-scale study focuses on the effects that an ICT (information and communications technologies)-based concept mapping intervention has on creativity and writing achievement in 10-11-year-old primary age pupils. The data shows that pupils using a concept mapping intervention significantly improve their NFER…

  17. PowerPoint and Concept Maps: A Great Double Act

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simon, Jon

    2015-01-01

    This article explores how concept maps can provide a useful addition to PowerPoint slides to convey interconnections of knowledge and help students see how knowledge is often non-linear. While most accounting educators are familiar with PowerPoint, they are likely to be less familiar with concept maps and this article shows how the tool can be…

  18. Use of Concept Maps as an Assessment Tool in Mechanical Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tembe, B. L.; Kamble, S. K.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study to investigate, how third year mechanical engineering students are able to use their knowledge of concept maps in their study of the topic of "Introduction to the Internal Combustion Engines (IICE)". 41 students participated in this study. Firstly, the students were taught about concept maps and then asked to…

  19. Seventh Graders' Academic Achievement, Creativity, and Ability to Construct a Cross-Domain Concept Map--A Brain Function Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Yu-Chu

    2004-01-01

    This study proposes an interactive model of "cross-domain" concept mapping with an emphasis on brain functions, and it further investigates the relationships between academic achievement, creative thinking, and cross-domain concept mapping. Sixty-nine seventh graders participated in this study which employed two 50-minute instructional…

  20. Can Elementary Students Gather Information from Concept Maps?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marulcu, Ismail; Karakuyu, Yunus; Dogan, Mevlut

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we investigated whether concept maps were used as often and as effectively in elementary science and technology classrooms as recommended by the National Ministry of Education (MEB) in the new curricula in Turkey. In the new elementary science and technology curricula, the MEB provides a general concept map for each unit. We used…

  1. Concept Map Engineering: Methods and Tools Based on the Semantic Relation Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Minkyu

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of technologies that use natural language as the basis for concept map construction. In particular, this study focuses on the semantic relation (SR) approach to drawing rich and authentic concept maps that reflect students' internal representations of a problem situation. The…

  2. An Analysis, Using Concept Mapping, of Diabetic Patients' Knowledge, before and after Patient Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marchand, C.; d'Ivernois, J. F.; Assal, J. P.; Slama, G.; Hivon, R.

    2002-01-01

    Assesses whether concept maps used with diabetic patients could describe their cognitive structure, before and after having followed an educational program. Involves 10 diabetic patients and shows that concept maps can be a suitable technique to explore the type and organization of the patients' prior knowledge and to visualize what they have…

  3. Concept Maps as Instructional Tools for Improving Learning of Phase Transitions in Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shin, Shin-Shing

    2016-01-01

    Students attending object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) courses typically encounter difficulties transitioning from requirements analysis to logical design and then to physical design. Concept maps have been widely used in studies of user learning. The study reported here, based on the relationship of concept maps to learning theory and…

  4. Effects of a Computer-Assisted Concept Mapping Learning Strategy on EFL College Students' English Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Pei-Lin; Chen, Chiu-Jung; Chang, Yu-Ju

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of a computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on EFL college learners' English reading comprehension. The research questions were: (1) what was the influence of the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on different learners' English reading comprehension? (2) did…

  5. Integrating a Digital Concept Mapping into a PPT Slide Writing Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yen, Ai Chun; Yang, Pei Yi

    2013-01-01

    Carried out during a semester-long EFL (English as a foreign language) drama class, this research aimed to scrutinize the effects of digital concept mapping via LMS on English majors' (N = 38) PowerPoint (PPT) slide writing skills in Taiwan. Students were instructed to follow the concept mapping agenda via university learning management system…

  6. Concept Maps: An Alternative Methodology to Assess Young Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atiles, Julia T.; Dominique-Maikell, Nikole; McKean, Kathleen

    2014-01-01

    The authors investigated the utility and efficacy of using concepts maps as a research tool to assess young children. Pre- and post- concept maps have been used as an assessment and evaluation tool with teachers and with older students, typically children who can read and write; this article summarizes an investigation into the utility of using…

  7. A comparative study on undergraduate students' academic motivation and academic self-concept.

    PubMed

    Isiksal, Mine

    2010-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate Turkish and American undergraduate students' academic motivation and academic self-concept scores regarding the years that they spent in university. The analysis was based on 566 (284 Turkish, 282 American) undergraduate students where, Academic Motivation Scale and Academic Self-Concept Scale were used as measuring instruments. The results showed that there was a statistical significant effect of nationality and number of years spent in university on undergraduate students' intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and self-concept scores. Turkish students had higher intrinsic scores whereas American students had higher extrinsic scores and more positive academic-self concept compared to Turkish partners. Regarding grade level, senior students from both cultures had higher intrinsic motivation and academic self-concept scores compared to other grade levels. In terms of extrinsic motivation, there is steady decline in American students' scores as grade level increases. On the other hand, Turkish undergraduates' extrinsic scores decrease in the second year but increase in the third and fourth year of university education. Results were discussed by taking into consideration the social and cultural differences between two nations.

  8. Concept Maps for Improved Science Reasoning and Writing: Complexity Isn't Everything.

    PubMed

    Dowd, Jason E; Duncan, Tanya; Reynolds, Julie A

    2015-01-01

    A pervasive notion in the literature is that complex concept maps reflect greater knowledge and/or more expert-like thinking than less complex concept maps. We show that concept maps used to structure scientific writing and clarify scientific reasoning do not adhere to this notion. In an undergraduate course for thesis writers, students use concept maps instead of traditional outlines to define the boundaries and scope of their research and to construct an argument for the significance of their research. Students generate maps at the beginning of the semester, revise after peer review, and revise once more at the end of the semester. Although some students revised their maps to make them more complex, a significant proportion of students simplified their maps. We found no correlation between increased complexity and improved scientific reasoning and writing skills, suggesting that sometimes students simplify their understanding as they develop more expert-like thinking. These results suggest that concept maps, when used as an intervention, can meet the varying needs of a diverse population of student writers. © 2015 J. E. Dowd et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  9. The Effectiveness of an Online Knowledge Map Instructional Presentation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foor, Jamie L.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, I investigated the effectiveness of the knowledge map (k-map) instructional strategy compared to a text-based presentation in an online environment. K-maps consist of node-link representations of concepts that together form the content of a topic or domain. The benefits of using k-maps are that concepts and ideas are represented as…

  10. Concept mapping as a promising method to bring practice into science.

    PubMed

    van Bon-Martens, M J H; van de Goor, L A M; Holsappel, J C; Kuunders, T J M; Jacobs-van der Bruggen, M A M; te Brake, J H M; van Oers, J A M

    2014-06-01

    Concept mapping is a method for developing a conceptual framework of a complex topic for use as a guide to evaluation or planning. In concept mapping, thoughts and ideas are represented in the form of a picture or map, the content of which is determined by a group of stakeholders. This study aimed to explore the suitability of this method as a tool to integrate practical knowledge with scientific knowledge in order to improve theory development as a sound basis for practical decision-making. Following a short introduction to the method of concept mapping, five Dutch studies, serving different purposes and fields in public health, will be described. The aim of these studies was: to construct a theoretical framework for good regional public health reporting; to design an implementation strategy for a guideline for integral local health policy; to guide the evaluation of a local integral approach of overweight and obesity in youth; to guide the construction of a questionnaire to measure the quality of postdisaster psychosocial care; and to conceptualize an integral base for formulation of ambitions and targets for the new youth healthcare programme of a regional health service. The studies showed that concept mapping is a way to integrate practical and scientific knowledge with careful selection of participants that represent the different perspectives. Theory development can be improved through concept mapping; not by formulating new theories, but by highlighting the key issues and defining perceived relationships between topics. In four of the five studies, the resulting concept map was received as a sound basis for practical decision-making. Concept mapping is a valuable method for evidence-based public health policy, and a powerful instrument for facilitating dialogue, coherence and collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the public. Development of public health theory was realized by a step-by-step approach, considering both scientific and practical knowledge. However, the external validity of the concept maps in place and time is of importance. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students’ Mental Models and Promotes Students’ Synthetic Knowledge Generation

    PubMed Central

    Ortega, Ryan A.; Brame, Cynthia J.

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping, which utilizes embedding to layer information within concepts. Prezi’s zooming user interface lets the author of the presentation use both depth as well as distance to show connections between data, ideas, and concepts. Students in the class Biology of Cancer created synthesis maps to illustrate their knowledge of tumorigenesis. Students used multiple organizational schemes to build their maps. We present an analysis of student work, placing special emphasis on organization within student maps and how the organization of knowledge structures in student maps can reveal strengths and weaknesses in student understanding or instruction. We also provide a discussion of best practices for instructors who would like to implement synthesis mapping in their classrooms. PMID:25917385

  12. Lod scores for gene mapping in the presence of marker map uncertainty.

    PubMed

    Stringham, H M; Boehnke, M

    2001-07-01

    Multipoint lod scores are typically calculated for a grid of locus positions, moving the putative disease locus across a fixed map of genetic markers. Changing the order of a set of markers and/or the distances between the markers can make a substantial difference in the resulting lod score curve and the location and height of its maximum. The typical approach of using the best maximum likelihood marker map is not easily justified if other marker orders are nearly as likely and give substantially different lod score curves. To deal with this problem, we propose three weighted multipoint lod score statistics that make use of information from all plausible marker orders. In each of these statistics, the information conditional on a particular marker order is included in a weighted sum, with weight equal to the posterior probability of that order. We evaluate the type 1 error rate and power of these three statistics on the basis of results from simulated data, and compare these results to those obtained using the best maximum likelihood map and the map with the true marker order. We find that the lod score based on a weighted sum of maximum likelihoods improves on using only the best maximum likelihood map, having a type 1 error rate and power closest to that of using the true marker order in the simulation scenarios we considered. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  13. Mapping the Views of Adolescent Health Stakeholders.

    PubMed

    Ewan, Lindsay A; McLinden, Daniel; Biro, Frank; DeJonckheere, Melissa; Vaughn, Lisa M

    2016-01-01

    Health research that includes youth and family stakeholders increases the contextual relevance of findings, which can benefit both the researchers and stakeholders involved. The goal of this study was to identify youth and family adolescent health priorities and to explore strategies to address these concerns. Stakeholders identified important adolescent health concerns, perceptions of which were then explored using concept mapping. Concept mapping is a mixed-method participatory research approach that invites input from various stakeholders. In response to prompts, stakeholders suggested ways to address the identified health conditions. Adolescent participants then sorted the statements into groups based on content similarity and rated the statements for importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were then applied to create the concept maps. Stakeholders identified sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and obesity as the health conditions they considered most important. The concept map for STIs identified 7 clusters: General sex education, support and empowerment, testing and treatment, community involvement and awareness, prevention and protection, parental involvement in sex education, and media. The obesity concept map portrayed 8 clusters: Healthy food choices, obesity education, support systems, clinical and community involvement, community support for exercise, physical activity, nutrition support, and nutrition education. Ratings were generally higher for importance than for feasibility. The concept maps demonstrate stakeholder-driven ideas about approaches to target STIs and obesity in this context. Strategies at multiple social ecological levels were emphasized. The concept maps can be used to generate discussion regarding these topics and to identify interventions. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The Contribution of Conceptual Change Texts Accompanied by Concept Mapping to Eleventh-Grade Students Understanding of Cellular Respiration Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al khawaldeh, Salem A.; Al Olaimat, Ali M.

    2010-01-01

    The present study conducted to investigate the contribution of conceptual change texts, accompanied by concept mapping instruction to eleventh-grade students' understanding of cellular respiration concepts, and their retention of this understanding. Cellular respiration concepts test was developed as a result of examination of related literature…

  15. The Effect of Concept Mapping with Different Levels of Generativity and Learners' Self-Regulated Learning Skills on Knowledge Acquisition and Representation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lim, Kyu Yon

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of concept mapping strategies with different levels of generativity in terms of knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation. Also, it examined whether or not learners' self-regulated learning (SRL) skills influenced the effectiveness of concept mapping strategies with different…

  16. Comparative Effectiveness of Hierarchical, Flowchart and Spider Concept Mapping Strategies on Students' Performance in Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bamidele, E. F.; Oloyede, E. O.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the relative effectiveness of three types of concept maps (hierarchy, flowchart and spider) on the performance of students in Chemistry. This is with a view to find out which of the concept mapping types is more superior in enhancing students' performance in the numerical aspect of Chemistry. The pre-test, post-test…

  17. The Use of Concept Maps in Creating a Short Video with Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gocsál, Ákos; Tóth, Renáta

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an experimental project in which media students created a short video. The students in groups of 4 or 5 used concept maps for collected their ideas about organizing the project. The analysis of the concept maps revealed that two groups were product-oriented, one group was workflow-oriented, and two groups used…

  18. Concept Maps for Assessing Change in Learning: A Study of Undergraduate Business Students in First-Year Marketing in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    von der Heidt, Tania

    2015-01-01

    This paper explains the application of concept mapping to help foster a learning-centred approach. It investigates how concept maps are used to measure the change in learning following a two-week intensive undergraduate Marketing Principles course delivered to 162 Chinese students undertaking a Bachelor of Business Administration programme in…

  19. The Impact of Concept Mapping on the Process of Problem-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zwaal, Wichard; Otting, Hans

    2012-01-01

    A concept map is a graphical tool to activate and elaborate on prior knowledge, to support problem solving, promote conceptual thinking and understanding, and to organize and memorize knowledge. The aim of this study is to determine if the use of concept mapping (CM) in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum enhances the PBL process. The paper…

  20. Learning about a Level Physics Students' Understandings of Particle Physics Using Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gourlay, H.

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes a small-scale piece of research using concept mapping to elicit A level students' understandings of particle physics. Fifty-nine year 12 (16- and 17 year-old) students from two London schools participated. The exercise took place during school physics lessons. Students were instructed how to make a concept map and were…

  1. A Time Sequence-Oriented Concept Map Approach to Developing Educational Computer Games for History Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chu, Hui-Chun; Yang, Kai-Hsiang; Chen, Jing-Hong

    2015-01-01

    Concept maps have been recognized as an effective tool for students to organize their knowledge; however, in history courses, it is important for students to learn and organize historical events according to the time of their occurrence. Therefore, in this study, a time sequence-oriented concept map approach is proposed for developing a game-based…

  2. The Effects of Concept Mapping and Academic Self-Efficacy on Mastery Goals and Reading Comprehension Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Andrew; Kim, Wonsun

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of concept mapping on mastery goal orientation and academic self-efficacy in a collaborative learning environment. The current study employed a randomized controlled pretest-posttest group design to examine if learning strategies such as concept mapping can help students with both reading…

  3. Thinking processes of Filipino teachers representation of schema of some biology topics: Its effects to the students conceptual understanding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barquilla, Manuel B.

    2018-01-01

    This study is a qualitative-quantitative research, where the main concern is to investigate Content knowledge representation of Filipino Teachers in their schema (proposition, linear ordering and imagery) of some biology topics. The five biology topics includes: Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration, human reproductive system, Mendelian genetics and NonMendelian genetics. The study focuses on the six (6) biology teachers and a total of 222 students in their respective classes. Of the Six (6) teachers, three (3) are under the Science curriculum and three (3) under regular curriculum in both public and private schools in Iligan city and Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The study utilizes interpretative case-study method, bracketing method, and concept analysis for qualitative part. For quantitative, it uses a nonparametric statistical tool, Kendall's Tau to determine congruence of students and teachers' concept maps and paired t-test for testing the significant differences of pre-and post-instruction concept maps to determine the effects of students' conceptual understanding before and after the teacher's representation of their schema that requires the teachers' thinking processes. The data were cross-validated with two or more techniques used in the study. The data collection entailed seven (7) months immersion: one (1) month for preliminary phase for the researcher to gain teachers' and students' confidence and the succeeding six (6) months for main observation and data collection. Results indicate that the teacher utilize six methods to construct meaning of concepts, three methods of representing classification, four methods to represent relationships, seven methods to represent transformation and three methods to represent causation in planning and implementing the lessons. They often modify definitions in the textbook and express these in lingua franca to be better understood by the students. Furthermore, the teachers' analogs given to student are sometimes far from the things, objects, events or processes being compared to. This suggests that teachers sometimes provide the condition for students' developing alternative conception through analogy/metaphors that they give. Also, the results suggest that there is significant differences between the pre and post instruction mean scores of concept maps before and after the teacher representation of their schema. Moreover, most of the topic (photosynthesis, human reproductive system, Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics) studied have moderately or substantial to high agreement between the two groups. Hence, suggest that the teachers' representation highly influence student conceptual.

  4. Essential Map Concepts for Young Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hatcher, Barbara

    This paper discusses four key concepts to help preschool and primary grade children develop the ability to read and understand maps. Examples of student activities to develop each of the concepts are provided. The essential concepts are representation, symbolization, perspective, and scale. Representation is vital. Children must perceive that a…

  5. Effects of a Question Prompt-Based Concept Mapping Approach on Students' Learning Achievements, Attitudes and 5C Competences in Project-Based Computer Course Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Hsiu-Ying; Huang, Iwen; Hwang, Gwo-Jen

    2016-01-01

    Concept mapping has been widely used in various fields to facilitate students' organization of knowledge. Previous studies have, however, pointed out that it is difficult for students to construct concept maps from the abundant searched data without appropriate scaffolding. Thus, researchers have suggested that students could produce high quality…

  6. The Effect of Using Concept Mapping on Student's Attitude and Achievement When Learning the Physics Topic of Circular and Rotational Motion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luchembe, Dennis; Chinyama, Kaumba; Jumbe, Jack

    2014-01-01

    The study was conducted to show the effectiveness of concept mapping as a teaching strategy to undergraduate students taking introductory physics course. A number of researchers have investigated the effectiveness of concept mapping on student academic achievement. The main focus of these studies have been on comparing the effectiveness of concept…

  7. Joining the Pieces: Using Concept Maps for Integrated Learning and Assessment in an Introductory Management Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connolly, Heather; Spiller, Dorothy

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on and evaluates the use of concept mapping as a learning tool in a large first year Management course. The goal was to help students make personal sense of course learning and to build their understanding of links and relationships between key course ideas. Concept mapping was used for three summative assessment pieces,…

  8. [Impact to Z-score Mapping of Hyperacute Stroke Images by Computed Tomography in Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction].

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Shota; Sakaguchi, Kenta; Hosono, Makoto; Ishii, Kazunari; Murakami, Takamichi; Ichikawa, Katsuhiro

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a hybrid-type iterative reconstruction method on Z-score mapping of hyperacute stroke in unenhanced computed tomography (CT) images. We used a hybrid-type iterative reconstruction [adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR)] implemented in a CT system (Optima CT660 Pro advance, GE Healthcare). With 15 normal brain cases, we reconstructed CT images with a filtered back projection (FBP) and ASiR with a blending factor of 100% (ASiR100%). Two standardized normal brain data were created from normal databases of FBP images (FBP-NDB) and ASiR100% images (ASiR-NDB), and standard deviation (SD) values in basal ganglia were measured. The Z-score mapping was performed for 12 hyperacute stroke cases by using FBP-NDB and ASiR-NDB, and compared Z-score value on hyperacute stroke area and normal area between FBP-NDB and ASiR-NDB. By using ASiR-NDB, the SD value of standardized brain was decreased by 16%. The Z-score value of ASiR-NDB on hyperacute stroke area was significantly higher than FBP-NDB (p<0.05). Therefore, the use of images reconstructed with ASiR100% for Z-score mapping had potential to improve the accuracy of Z-score mapping.

  9. Representation of ophthalmology concepts by electronic systems: adequacy of controlled medical terminologies.

    PubMed

    Chiang, Michael F; Casper, Daniel S; Cimino, James J; Starren, Justin

    2005-02-01

    To assess the adequacy of 5 controlled medical terminologies (International Classification of Diseases 9, Clinical Modification [ICD9-CM]; Current Procedural Terminology 4 [CPT-4]; Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine, Clinical Terms [SNOMED-CT]; Logical Identifiers, Names, and Codes [LOINC]; Medical Entities Dictionary [MED]) for representing concepts in ophthalmology. Noncomparative case series. Twenty complete ophthalmology case presentations were sequentially selected from a publicly available ophthalmology journal. Each of the 20 cases was parsed into discrete concepts, and each concept was classified along 2 axes: (1) diagnosis, finding, or procedure and (2) ophthalmic or medical concept. Electronic or paper browsers were used to assign a code for every concept in each of the 5 terminologies. Adequacy of assignment for each concept was scored on a 3-point scale. Findings from all 20 case presentations were combined and compared based on a coverage score, which was the average score for all concepts in that terminology. Adequacy of assignment for concepts in each terminology, based on a 3-point Likert scale (0, no match; 1, partial match; 2, complete match). Cases were parsed into 1603 concepts. SNOMED-CT had the highest mean overall coverage score (1.625+/-0.667), followed by MED (0.974+/-0.764), LOINC (0.781+/-0.929), ICD9-CM (0.280+/-0.619), and CPT-4 (0.082+/-0.337). SNOMED-CT also had higher coverage scores than any of the other terminologies for concepts in the diagnosis, finding, and procedure categories. Average coverage scores for ophthalmic concepts were lower than those for medical concepts. Controlled terminologies are required for electronic representation of ophthalmology data. SNOMED-CT had significantly higher content coverage than any other terminology in this study.

  10. Estimating the Prospectivity of Geothermal Resources Using the Concept of Hydrogeologic Windows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bielicki, Jeffrey; Blackwell, David; Harp, Dylan; Karra, Satish; Kelley, Richard; Kelley, Shari; Middleton, Richard; Person, Mark; Sutula, Glenn; Witcher, James

    2016-04-01

    In this Geothermal Play Fairways Analysis project we sought to develop new ways to analyze geologic, geochemical, and geophysical data to reduce the risk and increase the prospects of successful geothermal exploration and development. We collected, organized, and analyzed data from southwest New Mexico in the context of an integrated framework that combines the data for various signatures of a geothermal resource into a cohesive analysis of the presence of heat, fluid, and permeability. We incorporated data on structural characteristics (earthquakes, geophysical logs, fault location and age, basement depth), topographic and water table elevations, conservative ion concentrations, and thermal information (heat flow, bottom hole temperature, discharge temperature, and basement heat generation). These data were combined to create maps that indicate structural analysis, slope, geothermometry, and heat. We also mapped discharge areas (to constrain elevations where groundwater may be discharged through modern thermal springs or paleo-thermal springs) and subcrops: possible erosionally- or structurally-controlled breaches in regional-scale aquitards that form the basis of our hydrogeologic windows concept. These two maps were particularly useful in identifying known geothermal systems and narrowing the search for unknown geothermal prospects. We further refined the "prospectivity" of the areas within the subcrops and discharge areas by developing and applying a new method for spatial association analysis to data on known and inferred faults, earthquakes, geochemical thermometers, and heat flow. This new methodology determines the relationships of the location and magnitudes of observations of these data with known geothermal sites. The results of each of the six spatial association analyses were weighted between 0 and 1 and summed to produce a prospectivity score between 0 and 6, with 6 indicating highest geothermal potential. The mean value of prospectivity for all regions with positive prospectivity inside subcrops and discharge areas was 1.83 (standard deviation = 0.75), whereas this mean prospectivity for known geothermal sites was 3.07 (standard deviation = 0.90). These results suggest that our prospectivity analysis using our integrated framework and the hydrogeologic windows concept is useful for identifying known and potential geothermal resources. The prospectivity approach also substantially reduces the number of known geothermal resources per km2 (from 0.004 at prospectivity > 0 to 0.016 at prospectivity > 3), suggesting that limiting an exploration area to regions with high prospectivity scores could reduce exploration costs. Comparing this method to more simplistic methods revealed that this method consistently had a higher density of resources in the top quintile for prospectivity. Using our prospectivity map, we identified nine sites for further data collection and analysis: Rincon, Lordsburg, Mud Springs, Gillis Hot Well, Goodsight, Cliff-Riverside, Rio Salado/Lucero, and the Northern Little Florida Mountains.

  11. Validation Workshop of the DRDC Concept Map Knowledge Model: Issues in Intelligence Analysis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-29

    group noted problems with grammar , and a more standard approach to the grammar of the linking term (e.g. use only active tense ) would certainly have...Knowledge Model is distinct from a Concept Map. A Concept Map is a single map, probably presented in one view, while a Knowledge Model is a set of...Agenda The workshop followed the agenda presented in Table 2-3. Table 2-3: Workshop Agenda Time Title 13:00 – 13:15 Registration 13:15 – 13:45

  12. Two-Phase chief complaint mapping to the UMLS metathesaurus in Korean electronic medical records.

    PubMed

    Kang, Bo-Yeong; Kim, Dae-Won; Kim, Hong-Gee

    2009-01-01

    The task of automatically determining the concepts referred to in chief complaint (CC) data from electronic medical records (EMRs) is an essential component of many EMR applications aimed at biosurveillance for disease outbreaks. Previous approaches that have been used for this concept mapping have mainly relied on term-level matching, whereby the medical terms in the raw text and their synonyms are matched with concepts in a terminology database. These previous approaches, however, have shortcomings that limit their efficacy in CC concept mapping, where the concepts for CC data are often represented by associative terms rather than by synonyms. Therefore, herein we propose a concept mapping scheme based on a two-phase matching approach, especially for application to Korean CCs, which uses term-level complete matching in the first phase and concept-level matching based on concept learning in the second phase. The proposed concept-level matching suggests the method to learn all the terms (associative terms as well as synonyms) that represent the concept and predict the most probable concept for a CC based on the learned terms. Experiments on 1204 CCs extracted from 15,618 discharge summaries of Korean EMRs showed that the proposed method gave significantly improved F-measure values compared to the baseline system, with improvements of up to 73.57%.

  13. Analyzing the Use of Concept Maps in Computer Science: A Systematic Mapping Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    dos Santos, Vinicius; de Souza, Érica F.; Felizardo, Katia R; Vijaykumar, Nandamudi L.

    2017-01-01

    Context: concept Maps (CMs) enable the creation of a schematic representation of a domain knowledge. For this reason, CMs have been applied in different research areas, including Computer Science. Objective: the objective of this paper is to present the results of a systematic mapping study conducted to collect and evaluate existing research on…

  14. Mapping Mixed Methods Research: Methods, Measures, and Meaning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wheeldon, J.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores how concept maps and mind maps can be used as data collection tools in mixed methods research to combine the clarity of quantitative counts with the nuance of qualitative reflections. Based on more traditional mixed methods approaches, this article details how the use of pre/post concept maps can be used to design qualitative…

  15. Concept maps and nursing theory: a pedagogical approach.

    PubMed

    Hunter Revell, Susan M

    2012-01-01

    Faculty seek to teach nursing students how to link clinical and theoretical knowledge with the intent of improving patient outcomes. The author discusses an innovative 9-week concept mapping activity as a pedagogical approach to teach nursing theory in a graduate theory course. Weekly concept map building increased student engagement and fostered theoretical thinking. Unexpectedly, this activity also benefited students through group work and its ability to enhance theory-practice knowledge.

  16. The Effects of Concept Maps on the Academic Success and Attitudes of 11th Graders while Teaching Urinary System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akay, Sumeyye Ozbey; Kaya, Basturk; Kilic, Selda

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the present study is to support, enrich, and broaden the process of education using concept maps and to determine the effects of concept maps in biology classes on school success, attitude and retention of the knowledge taught. The present study was conducted as an experimental study with pre-test and post-test control groups. The…

  17. A Concept Mapping Approach to Guide and Understand Dissemination and Implementation

    PubMed Central

    Green, Amy E.; Fettes, Danielle L.; Aarons, Gregory A.

    2013-01-01

    Many efforts to implement evidence-based programs do not reach their full potential or fail due to the variety of challenges inherent in dissemination and implementation. This article describes the use of concept mapping—a mixed method strategy—to study implementation of behavioral health innovations and evidence-based practice (EBP). The application of concept mapping to implementation research represents a practical and concise way to identify and quantify factors affecting implementation, develop conceptual models of implementation, target areas to address as part of implementation readiness and active implementation, and foster communication among stakeholders. Concept mapping is described and a case example is provided to illustrate its use in an implementation study. Implications for the use of concept mapping methods in both research and applied settings towards the dissemination and implementation of behavioral health services are discussed. PMID:22892987

  18. A Study of Concept Mapping as an Instructional Intervention in an Undergraduate General Chemistry Calorimetry Laboratory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stroud, Mary W.

    This investigation, rooted in both chemistry and education, considers outcomes occurring in a small-scale study in which concept mapping was used as an instructional intervention in an undergraduate calorimetry laboratory. A quasi-experimental, multiple-methods approach was employed since the research questions posed in this study warranted the use of both qualitative and quantitative perspectives and evaluations. For the intervention group of students, a convenience sample, post-lab concept maps, written discussions, quiz responses and learning surveys were characterized and evaluated. Archived quiz responses for non-intervention students were also analyzed for comparison. Students uniquely constructed individual concept maps containing incorrect, conceptually correct and "scientifically thin" calorimetry characterizations. Students more greatly emphasized mathematical relationships and equations utilized during the calorimetry experiment; the meaning of calorimetry concepts was demonstrated to a lesser extent.

  19. Concept Maps as Tools for Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moreira, Marco A.

    1979-01-01

    Discusses how concept maps with two dimensional diagrams which show hierarchical relationships among concepts of a discipline can be used in teaching physics. An example for teaching a course in electromagnetism at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil is presented. (HM)

  20. Fully Convolutional Network-Based Multifocus Image Fusion.

    PubMed

    Guo, Xiaopeng; Nie, Rencan; Cao, Jinde; Zhou, Dongming; Qian, Wenhua

    2018-07-01

    As the optical lenses for cameras always have limited depth of field, the captured images with the same scene are not all in focus. Multifocus image fusion is an efficient technology that can synthesize an all-in-focus image using several partially focused images. Previous methods have accomplished the fusion task in spatial or transform domains. However, fusion rules are always a problem in most methods. In this letter, from the aspect of focus region detection, we propose a novel multifocus image fusion method based on a fully convolutional network (FCN) learned from synthesized multifocus images. The primary novelty of this method is that the pixel-wise focus regions are detected through a learning FCN, and the entire image, not just the image patches, are exploited to train the FCN. First, we synthesize 4500 pairs of multifocus images by repeatedly using a gaussian filter for each image from PASCAL VOC 2012, to train the FCN. After that, a pair of source images is fed into the trained FCN, and two score maps indicating the focus property are generated. Next, an inversed score map is averaged with another score map to produce an aggregative score map, which take full advantage of focus probabilities in two score maps. We implement the fully connected conditional random field (CRF) on the aggregative score map to accomplish and refine a binary decision map for the fusion task. Finally, we exploit the weighted strategy based on the refined decision map to produce the fused image. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, we compare its fused results with several start-of-the-art methods not only on a gray data set but also on a color data set. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve superior fusion performance in both human visual quality and objective assessment.

  1. Self-concept of academic ability as a function of sex, age, and academic achievement among African adolescents.

    PubMed

    Mboya, M M

    1998-08-01

    This study examined (a) sex and age variations for scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement among 244 African adolescents attending a coeducational high school and (b) correlations between scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement by sex and age. No significant sex differences were found, but there were significant age differences on the Self-concept scores and measures of English, science, and history but not in mathematics. A significant positive correlation was found between Self-concept scores and academic achievement for boys and girls and in all age groups, but the magnitude of the correlations with achievement in mathematics was stronger among boys than among girls.

  2. Role of food and nutrition in the health perceptions of young children.

    PubMed

    Singleton, J C; Achterberg, C L; Shannon, B M

    1992-01-01

    Sixty healthy children, 4 to 7 years of age, were interviewed to evaluate their health perceptions in general and to determine the degree to which they included food and eating behavior in their perceptions. Individual interviews with children incorporated both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Concept maps were used to analyze interview transcripts. The pretest/posttest experimental design randomly assigned children to experimental and control groups. Children in the experimental group completed a 4-week, home-based, nutrition education program to determine the feasibility of changing children's health perceptions with an educational intervention. Pretest and posttest health perception scores were compared by analysis of covariance. Results indicated that children perceived nutrition as a meaningful concept in relation to their health perceptions at pretest, but that after program participation, children significantly increased their perception that health and nutrition were related concepts. Our findings indicate that young children are cognitively ready to learn more about food, nutrition, and health than previously thought, but closed-ended questions may not be sensitive enough to evaluate their learning at this age.

  3. Thinking Maps: An innovative way to increase sixth-grade student achievement in social studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reed, Tamita

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effect of Thinking Maps on the achievement of 6th-grade social studies students in order to determine its effectiveness. The population of this study came from a suburban middle school in the state of Georgia. The quantitative data included a pretest and posttest. The study was designed to find (a) whether there is a significant difference between the mean posttest scores on the benchmark test of 6th-grade students who are taught with either Thinking Maps or traditional social studies methods, (b) whether there is a significant difference between the mean posttest scores on the benchmark test of 6th-grade male versus female social studies students, and (c) whether there is a significant interaction between 6th-grade students' type of social studies class and gender as to differentially affect their mean posttest scores on the benchmark test. To answer these questions, students' pretest and posttest were compared to determine if there was a statistically significant difference after Thinking Maps were implemented with the treatment group for 9 weeks. The results indicate that there was no significant difference in the test scores between the students who were taught with Thinking Maps and the students who were taught without Thinking Maps. However, the students taught with Thinking Maps had the higher adjusted posttest scores.

  4. Unravelling the concept of integrated public health policy: Concept mapping with Dutch experts from science, policy, and practice.

    PubMed

    Tubbing, Luuk; Harting, Janneke; Stronks, Karien

    2015-06-01

    While expectations of integrated public health policy (IPHP) promoting public health are high, assessment is hampered by the concept's ambiguity. This paper aims to contribute to conceptual clarification of IPHP as first step in further measurement development. In an online concept mapping procedure, we invited 237 Dutch experts, 62 of whom generated statements on characteristics of IPHP. Next, 100 experts were invited, 24 of whom sorted the statements into piles according to their perceived similarity and rated the statements on relevance and measurability. Data was analyzed using concept mapping software. The concept map consisted of 97 statements, grouped into 11 clusters and five themes. Core themes were 'integration', concerning 'policy coherence' and 'organizing connections', and 'health', concerning 'positioning health' and 'addressing determinants'. Peripheral themes were 'generic aspects', 'capacities', and 'goals and setting', which respectively addressed general notions of integrated policy making, conditions for IPHP, and the variety in manifestations of IPHP. Measurability ratings were low compared to relevance. The concept map gives an overview of interrelated themes, distinguishes core from peripheral dimensions, and provides pointers for theories of the policy process. While low measurability ratings indicate measurement difficulties, the core themes provide pointers for systematic insight into IPHP through measurement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. [Risk maps. The concept and the methodology for their development].

    PubMed

    García Gómez, M M

    1994-01-01

    In this article the concept of risk map is revised. It is considered as an instrument for the knowledge of risks and damages in a certain environment. A historic revision is made analyzing the birth and evolution of the concept. Different experiences and types of maps in different countries are described. Finally the operative steps, the data sources and the risk indicators which should be used in Spain are included.

  6. The Synthesis Map Is a Multidimensional Educational Tool That Provides Insight into Students' Mental Models and Promotes Students' Synthetic Knowledge Generation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ortega, Ryan A.; Brame, Cynthia J.

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping,…

  7. Family Conflict and Children's Self-Concepts: A Comparison of Intact and Single-Parent Families.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raschke, Helen J.; Raschke, Vernon J.

    1979-01-01

    Using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale to measure self-concept, and self-reports for family structure and family conflict, no significant differences in self-concept scores of children from intact, single-parent, reconstituted, or other types of families were found. Self-concept scores were significantly lower for children reporting…

  8. Mental map and spatial thinking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vanzella Castellar, Sonia Maria; Cristiane Strina Juliasz, Paula

    2018-05-01

    The spatial thinking is a central concept in our researches at the Faculty of Education of University of São Paulo (FE-USP). The cartography is fundamental to this kind of thinking, because it contributes to the development of the representation of space. The spatial representations are the drawings - mental maps - maps, chart, aerial photos, satellite images, graphics and diagrams. To think spatially - including the contents and concepts geographical and their representations - also corresponds to reason, defined by the skills the individual develops to understand the structure, function of a space, and describe your organization and relation to other spaces. The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of mental maps in the development of concepts of city and landscape - structuring concepts for school geography. The purpose is to analyze how students in Geography and Pedagogy - future teachers - and young children in Early Childhood Education think, feel, and appropriate these concepts. The analys is indicates the importance of developing mental map in activities with pedagogy and geography graduate student to know that students at school can be producers of maps. Cartography is a language and allows the student to develop the spatial and temporal relationships and notions such as orientation, distance and location, learning the concepts of geographical science. Mental maps present the basic features of the location such as the conditions - the features verified in one place - and the connections that is to understand how this place connects to other places.

  9. Docking pose selection by interaction pattern graph similarity: application to the D3R grand challenge 2015.

    PubMed

    Slynko, Inna; Da Silva, Franck; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier

    2016-09-01

    High affinity ligands for a given target tend to share key molecular interactions with important anchoring amino acids and therefore often present quite conserved interaction patterns. This simple concept was formalized in a topological knowledge-based scoring function (GRIM) for selecting the most appropriate docking poses from previously X-rayed interaction patterns. GRIM first converts protein-ligand atomic coordinates (docking poses) into a simple 3D graph describing the corresponding interaction pattern. In a second step, proposed graphs are compared to that found from template structures in the Protein Data Bank. Last, all docking poses are rescored according to an empirical score (GRIMscore) accounting for overlap of maximum common subgraphs. Taking the opportunity of the public D3R Grand Challenge 2015, GRIM was used to rescore docking poses for 36 ligands (6 HSP90α inhibitors, 30 MAP4K4 inhibitors) prior to the release of the corresponding protein-ligand X-ray structures. When applied to the HSP90α dataset, for which many protein-ligand X-ray structures are already available, GRIM provided very high quality solutions (mean rmsd = 1.06 Å, n = 6) as top-ranked poses, and significantly outperformed a state-of-the-art scoring function. In the case of MAP4K4 inhibitors, for which preexisting 3D knowledge is scarce and chemical diversity is much larger, the accuracy of GRIM poses decays (mean rmsd = 3.18 Å, n = 30) although GRIM still outperforms an energy-based scoring function. GRIM rescoring appears to be quite robust with comparison to the other approaches competing for the same challenge (42 submissions for the HSP90 dataset, 27 for the MAP4K4 dataset) as it ranked 3rd and 2nd respectively, for the two investigated datasets. The rescoring method is quite simple to implement, independent on a docking engine, and applicable to any target for which at least one holo X-ray structure is available.

  10. In search of patient characteristics that may guide empirically based treatment selection for personality disorder patients-a concept map approach.

    PubMed

    van Manen, J G; Kamphuis, J H; Goossensen, A; Timman, R; Busschbach, J J V; Verheul, R

    2012-08-01

    Using the concept map method, this study aimed to summarize and describe patient characteristics pertinent to treatment selection for patients with personality disorders (PDs). Initial patient characteristics were derived from the research literature and a survey among Dutch expert clinicians. Concept mapping is a formalized conceptualization procedure that describes the underlying cognitive structures people use in complex tasks, such as treatment allocation. Based on expert opinions of 29 Dutch clinicians, a concept map was generated that yielded eight domains of patient characteristics, i.e., Severity of symptoms, Severity of personality pathology, Ego-adaptive capacities, Motivation and working alliance, Social context, Social demographic characteristics, Trauma, and Treatment history and medical condition. These domains can be ordered along two bipolar axes, running from internal to external concepts and from vulnerability to strength concepts, respectively. Our findings may serve as input for the delineation of algorithms for patient-treatment matching research in PD.

  11. An assessment of high school students' conceptual structures of heat and temperature through concept maps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aykutlu, Isil; Bezen, Sevim; Bayrak, Celal

    2017-02-01

    This study is a qualitative one conducted in order to determine 9th, 10th, and 11th grade high school students' conceptual structures of heat and temperature through concept maps. The study was realized with the participation of a total of 80 students. As data gathering tool, a concept map developed by the researchers, which includes such items as heat, temperature, and matter, was used. Students were asked to form a concept map by using the concepts in the form and the concepts they thought were related with these. Data obtained from the research was analyzed via content analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that students have misconceptions and lack of knowledge of heat and temperature. Lastly, the following can be given as examples of students' misconceptions or lack of knowledge: they think temperature comes into being as a result of heat and that heat is a kind of energy.

  12. Use of concept mapping in an undergraduate introductory exercise physiology course.

    PubMed

    Henige, Kim

    2012-09-01

    Physiology is often considered a challenging course for students. It is up to teachers to structure courses and create learning opportunities that will increase the chance of student success. In an undergraduate exercise physiology course, concept maps are assigned to help students actively process and organize information into manageable and meaningful chunks and to teach them to recognize the patterns and regularities of physiology. Students are first introduced to concept mapping with a commonly relatable nonphysiology concept and are then assigned a series of maps that become more and more complex. Students map the acute response to a drop in blood pressure, the causes of the acute increase in stroke volume during cardiorespiratory exercise, and the factors contributing to an increase in maximal O(2) consumption with cardiorespiratory endurance training. In the process, students draw the integrative nature of physiology, identify causal relationships, and learn about general models and core principles of physiology.

  13. Intercorrelations of Some Measures of Self-Concept.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, John D.; Coley, Leslie A.

    1984-01-01

    Scores derived from the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory (SEI), Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS), Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT), and Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control (LOC) Scale were analyzed. Significant correlations were obtained between scores on these instruments. Race and SIT scores and age and LOC scores were also…

  14. Topic Maps e-Learning Portal Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olsevicova, Kamila

    2006-01-01

    Topic Maps, ISO/IEC 13250 standard, are designed to facilitate the organization and navigation of large collections of information objects by creating meta-level perspectives of their underlying concepts and relationships. The underlying structure of concepts and relations is expressed by domain ontologies. The Topics Maps technology can become…

  15. Capturing the Integration of Practice-Based Learning with Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes using Modified Concept Mapping.

    PubMed

    Mcnaughton, Susan; Barrow, Mark; Bagg, Warwick; Frielick, Stanley

    2016-01-01

    Practice-based learning integrates the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains and is influenced by students' beliefs, values, and attitudes. Concept mapping has been shown to effectively demonstrate students' changing concepts and knowledge structures. This article discusses how concept mapping was modified to capture students' perceptions of the connections between the domains of thinking and knowing, emotions, behavior, attitudes, values, and beliefs and the specific experiences related to these, over a period of eight months of practice-based clinical learning. The findings demonstrate that while some limitations exist, modified concept mapping is a manageable way to gather rich data about students' perceptions of their clinical practice experiences. These findings also highlight the strong integrating influence of beliefs and values on other areas of practice, suggesting that these need to be attended to as part of a student's educational program.

  16. Capturing the Integration of Practice-Based Learning with Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes using Modified Concept Mapping

    PubMed Central

    Mcnaughton, Susan; Barrow, Mark; Bagg, Warwick; Frielick, Stanley

    2016-01-01

    Practice-based learning integrates the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains and is influenced by students’ beliefs, values, and attitudes. Concept mapping has been shown to effectively demonstrate students’ changing concepts and knowledge structures. This article discusses how concept mapping was modified to capture students’ perceptions of the connections between the domains of thinking and knowing, emotions, behavior, attitudes, values, and beliefs and the specific experiences related to these, over a period of eight months of practice-based clinical learning. The findings demonstrate that while some limitations exist, modified concept mapping is a manageable way to gather rich data about students’ perceptions of their clinical practice experiences. These findings also highlight the strong integrating influence of beliefs and values on other areas of practice, suggesting that these need to be attended to as part of a student's educational program. PMID:29349311

  17. Meeting the Demands of Professional Education: A Study of Mind Mapping in a Professional Doctoral Physical Therapy Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollard, Elicia L.

    2010-01-01

    The purposes of this study are to investigate whether the quiz scores of physical therapy students who integrated mind mapping in their learning strategies are significantly different than the quiz scores of students who did not use mind mapping to learn in a lecture-based research course and examine the students' perceptions of mind mapping as a…

  18. Examining the Fifth Graders' Understanding of Heat and Temperature Concepts via Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cakir Olgun, Ozlem Sila

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of concept mapping over traditional instruction on students' understanding and retention of heat and temperature concepts. The sample of this study consisted of 5th grade students from two classes of a elementary school (n=75). One intact class was randomly assigned to the comparison group whereas the other one…

  19. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on Quality Index Method (QIM) scores of farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) at low and abused temperatures.

    PubMed

    Campus, Marco; Bonaglini, Elia; Cappuccinelli, Roberto; Porcu, Maria Cristina; Tonelli, Roberto; Roggio, Tonina

    2011-04-01

    A Quality Index Method (QIM) scheme was developed for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) packed gilthead seabream, and the effect of MAP gas mixtures (60% CO2 and 40% N2; 60% CO2, 30% O2, and 10% N2), temperature (2, 4, and 8 °C), and time of storage on QI scores was assessed. QI scores were crossed with sensory evaluation of cooked fish according to a modified Torry scheme to establish the rejection point. In order to reduce redundant parameters, a principal component analysis was applied on preliminary QIM parameters scores coming from the best performing MAP among those tested. The final QIM scheme consists of 13 parameters and a maximum demerit score of 25. The maximum storage time was found to be 13 d at 4 °C for MAP 60% CO2 and 40% N2. Storage at 2 °C do not substantially improved sensory parameters scores, while storage under temperature abuse (8 °C) accelerated drastically the rate of increase of QI scores and reduced the maximum storage time to 6 d.

  20. Custodial status and self concepts of Nigerian inmates remanded to prison custody.

    PubMed

    Onyeneje, E C; Eyo, I E

    1996-02-01

    60 male Nigerian prison inmates (30 with convicted status and 30 awaiting trial) and 210 male noninmates were administered the Tennessee Self-concept Scale to test the hypotheses that (1) inmates with convicted status would obtain higher self-concept scores than those with ¿awaiting trial¿ status, and (2) the self-concept scores of prison inmates generally would be lower than those of noninmates. The two hypotheses were strongly supported for this sample. It was concluded that self-concept scores were not only related to delinquency by also to custodial status.

  1. Self-perceptions of young adults who survived severe childhood burn injury.

    PubMed

    Russell, William; Robert, Rhonda S; Thomas, Christopher R; Holzer, Charles E; Blakeney, Patricia; Meyer, Walter J

    2013-01-01

    The transition of pediatric burn survivors into adulthood is accompanied by a reformulation of their self-concept. To anticipate the need for and guide development of appropriate psychosocial interventions, this study examines how young adults who were burned as children perceive themselves and how this perception might affect their self-esteem. Eighty-two young adult burn survivors (45 male, 37 female) were assessed using the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, 2nd edition (TSCS2) to determine how the participants perceive themselves and their interaction with society. To gain insight into the possible effects of these self-concept scores, relationships were analyzed between self-concept, a behavioral assessment (Young Adult Self-Report [YASR]), and a psychiatric symptom assessment (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders [SCID I]). This group of burn survivors scored significantly lower in self-concepts, reflected in TSCS2 subscale scores of physical function, appearance, and sexuality, moral conduct, personal values, academics and work, and identity, than did the reference population. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that as moral, personal, family, and social aspects of self-concept decreased, clinical problems endorsed on the YASR subscales increased, including anxiety, somatic, attention, intrusive, and aggressive. Persons with lower self-concept scores on the TSCS2 personal, family, and social scales were more withdrawn on the YASR. Similarly, those with lower TSCS2 scores on the personal and family scales endorsed significantly more thought problems on the YASR. TSCS2 total self-concept, personal, and all of the supplementary scale scores were significantly lower for the group with an affective disorder. Those whose SCID I scores were consistent with a current anxiety disorder had significantly lower scores for the TSCS2 total self-concept and personal. Lower self-concept was associated with endorsement of SCID symptoms. In summary, the significantly lower self-concept scores on the TSCS2 physical scale are consistent with the physical disfigurement and handicaps common with major burn injuries, and a strong indication of this group's perception of the first impression made when interacting with others. The survivors seem to feel worthwhile within the contexts of family and friends. Although the major limitation of this study using the TSCS2 is the lack of a matched reference population to compare the burn survivors, the TSCS2 does help in gaining insight into the self-esteem issues of the burn survivor population.

  2. Mapping out the Details: Supporting Struggling Writers' Written Expression with Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flanagan, Sara M.; Bouck, Emily C.

    2015-01-01

    Written expression is a key component of the secondary curriculum, but many students struggle to produce effective written expression passages. However, written expression can be supported through prewriting strategies such as concept mapping. Using a counterbalanced group design, 19 secondary students alternated between using paper- or…

  3. Concept mapping for virtual rehabilitation and training of the blind.

    PubMed

    Sanchez, Jaime; Flores, Hector

    2010-04-01

    Concept mapping is a technique that allows for the strengthening of the learning process, based on graphic representations of the learner's mental schemes. However, due to its graphic nature, it cannot be utilized by learners with visual disabilities. In response to this limitation we implemented a study that involves the design of AudiodMC, an audio-based, virtual environment for concept mapping designed for use by blind users and aimed at virtual training and rehabilitation. We analyzed the stages involved in the design of AudiodMC from a user-centered design perspective, considering user involvement and usability testing. These include an observation stage to learn how blind learners construct conceptual maps using concrete materials, a design stage to design of a software tool that aids blind users in creating concept maps, and a cognitive evaluation stage using AudiodMC. We also present the results of a study implemented in order to determine the impact of the use of this software on the development of essential skills for concept mapping (association, classification, categorization, sorting and summarizing). The results point to a high level of user acceptance, having identified key sound characteristics that help blind learners to learn concept codification and selection skills. The use of AudiodMC also allowed for the effective development of the skills under review in our research, thus facilitating meaningful learning.

  4. An Integrated Model of Academic Self-Concept Development: Academic Self-Concept, Grades, Test Scores, and Tracking over 6 Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsh, Herbert W.; Pekrun, Reinhard; Murayama, Kou; Arens, A. Katrin; Parker, Philip D.; Guo, Jiesi; Dicke, Theresa

    2018-01-01

    Our newly proposed integrated academic self-concept model integrates 3 major theories of academic self-concept formation and developmental perspectives into a unified conceptual and methodological framework. Relations among math self-concept (MSC), school grades, test scores, and school-level contextual effects over 6 years, from the end of…

  5. Self-concept in children and adolescents with epilepsy: The role of family functioning, mothers' emotional symptoms and ADHD.

    PubMed

    Ekinci, Ozalp; Isik, Uğur; Gunes, Serkan; Yildirim, Canan; Killi, Yunus; Guler, Gülen

    2016-09-01

    This study aimed to identify the associated factors of poor self-concept in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Fifty-three patients with uncomplicated epilepsy (aged 7-18years) and 28 healthy controls were included. Study measures included the Piers-Harris 2 Self-Concept Scale, Family Assessment Device (FAD), Turgay DSM-IV based ADHD rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R), Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Neurology clinic charts were reviewed for the epilepsy-related variables. While the Piers-Harris 2 total score was not significantly different between the groups, patients with epilepsy had lower (poorer) scores on freedom from anxiety and popularity subscales. Linear regression analysis revealed that the problem solving, affective responsiveness, general functioning and communication scores of FAD; total and inattentiveness scores of T-DSM-IV-S and mothers' Beck scores were associated with the total score of Piers-Harris 2. Epilepsy-related factors were not found to be associated with self-concept scores. Poor self-concept in children with epilepsy is associated with negative family functioning, mothers' emotional symptoms and ADHD, especially the symptoms of inattentiveness. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Fast Homozygosity Mapping and Identification of a Zebrafish ENU-Induced Mutation by Whole-Genome Sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Voz, Marianne L.; Coppieters, Wouter; Manfroid, Isabelle; Baudhuin, Ariane; Von Berg, Virginie; Charlier, Carole; Meyer, Dirk; Driever, Wolfgang; Martial, Joseph A.; Peers, Bernard

    2012-01-01

    Forward genetics using zebrafish is a powerful tool for studying vertebrate development through large-scale mutagenesis. Nonetheless, the identification of the molecular lesion is still laborious and involves time-consuming genetic mapping. Here, we show that high-throughput sequencing of the whole zebrafish genome can directly locate the interval carrying the causative mutation and at the same time pinpoint the molecular lesion. The feasibility of this approach was validated by sequencing the m1045 mutant line that displays a severe hypoplasia of the exocrine pancreas. We generated 13 Gb of sequence, equivalent to an eightfold genomic coverage, from a pool of 50 mutant embryos obtained from a map-cross between the AB mutant carrier and the WIK polymorphic strain. The chromosomal region carrying the causal mutation was localized based on its unique property to display high levels of homozygosity among sequence reads as it derives exclusively from the initial AB mutated allele. We developed an algorithm identifying such a region by calculating a homozygosity score along all chromosomes. This highlighted an 8-Mb window on chromosome 5 with a score close to 1 in the m1045 mutants. The sequence analysis of all genes within this interval revealed a nonsense mutation in the snapc4 gene. Knockdown experiments confirmed the assertion that snapc4 is the gene whose mutation leads to exocrine pancreas hypoplasia. In conclusion, this study constitutes a proof-of-concept that whole-genome sequencing is a fast and effective alternative to the classical positional cloning strategies in zebrafish. PMID:22496837

  7. Impact of Self-concept on Preschoolers’ Dental Anxiety and Behavior

    PubMed Central

    Erfanparast, Leila; Vafaei, Ali; Sohrabi, Azin; Ranjkesh, Bahram; Bahadori, Zahra; Pourkazemi, Maryam; Dadashi, Shabnam; Shirazi, Sajjad

    2015-01-01

    Background and aims. Different factors affect children’s behavior during dental treatment, including psychological and behavioral characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of self-concept on child’s anxiety and behavior during dental treatment in 4 to 6-year-old children. Materials and methods. A total of 235 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were included in this descriptive analytic study. Total self-concept score for each child was assessed according to Primary Self-concept Scale before dental treatment. Child’s anxiety and child’s behavior were assessed, during the restoration of mandibular primary molar, using clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale, respectively. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the total self-concept score with the results of clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale. Results. There was a moderate inverse correlation between the self-concept and clinical anxiety rating scale scores (r = -0.545, P < 0.001), and a moderate correlation between the self-concept and child’s behavior scores (r = 0.491, P < 0.001). A strong inverse relation was also found between the anxiety and behavior scores (r = -0.91, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Children with higher self-concept had lower anxiety level and better behavioral feedback during dental treatment. PMID:26697152

  8. Assessing Environmental Understanding: An Application of the Concept Mapping Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Kristen E.; Tressler, Kurt D.; Mintzes, Joel J.

    2008-01-01

    Despite its importance as a central goal in environmental education, there appears to be little consensus about how best to document, assess and evaluate understanding of environmental concepts. This illustrative case study describes and demonstrates the use of the concept mapping strategy as an effective tool for assessing environmental…

  9. A Construct Validity Investigation of Scores on the Japanese Version of an Academic Self-Concept Scale for a Sample of College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paik, Chie Matsuzawa; Michael, William B.

    The twofold purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and construct validity of scores on the Japanese version of an academic self-concept scale titled the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) Form H and ascertain any relationships between scores on the DOSC scale and selected demographic variables, including class, gender, and…

  10. Effect of Map-vaccination in ewes on body condition score, weight and Map-shedding.

    PubMed

    Hüttner, Klim; Krämer, Ulla; Kleist, Petra

    2012-01-01

    Vaccination against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) in sheep receives growing attention worldwide, particularly in countries with national Map control strategies. A field study was conducted, investigating the effect of GUDAIR on body condition, weight and Map-shedding in a professionally managed but largely Map-affected suffolk flock prior and after vaccination. For this, 80 ewes out of 1000 animals were randomly sampled. In the univariate analysis body condition scores of ewes twelve months after vaccination improved significantly compared to those sampled prior to vaccination. At the same time the rate of ewes shedding Map was reduced by 37%.

  11. The allocation of valenced concepts onto 3D space.

    PubMed

    Marmolejo-Ramos, Fernando; Tirado, Carlos; Arshamian, Edward; Vélez, Jorge Iván; Arshamian, Artin

    2018-06-01

    The valence-space metaphor research area investigates the metaphorical mapping of valenced concepts onto space. Research findings from this area indicate that positive, neutral, and negative concepts are associated with upward, midward, and downward locations, respectively, in the vertical plane. The same research area has also indicated that such concepts seem to have no preferential location on the horizontal plane. The approach-avoidance effect consists in decreasing the distance between positive stimuli and the body (i.e. approach) and increasing the distance between negative stimuli and the body (i.e. avoid). Thus, the valence-space metaphor accounts for the mapping of valenced concepts onto the vertical and horizontal planes, and the approach-avoidance effect accounts for the mapping of valenced concepts onto the "depth" plane. By using a cube conceived for the study of allocation of valenced concepts onto 3D space, we show in three studies that positive concepts are placed in upward locations and near the participants' body, negative concepts are placed in downward locations and far from the participants' body, and neutral concepts are placed in between these concepts in both planes.

  12. The Implementation of Physics Problem Solving Strategy Combined with Concept Map in General Physics Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hidayati, H.; Ramli, R.

    2018-04-01

    This paper aims to provide a description of the implementation of Physic Problem Solving strategy combined with concept maps in General Physics learning at Department of Physics, Universitas Negeri Padang. Action research has been conducted in two cycles where each end of the cycle is reflected and improved for the next cycle. Implementation of Physics Problem Solving strategy combined with concept map can increase student activity in solving general physics problem with an average increase of 15% and can improve student learning outcomes from 42,7 in the cycle I become 62,7 in cycle II in general physics at the Universitas Negeri Padang. In the future, the implementation of Physic Problem Solving strategy combined with concept maps will need to be considered in Physics courses.

  13. An Evaluation of the UMLS in Representing Corpus Derived Clinical Concepts

    PubMed Central

    Friedlin, Jeff; Overhage, Marc

    2011-01-01

    We performed an evaluation of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) in representing concepts derived from medical narrative documents from three domains: chest x-ray reports, discharge summaries and admission notes. We detected concepts in these documents by identifying noun phrases (NPs) and N-grams, including unigrams (single words), bigrams (word pairs) and trigrams (word triples). After removing NPs and N-grams that did not represent discrete clinical concepts, we processed the remaining with the UMLS MetaMap program. We manually reviewed the results of MetaMap processing to determine whether MetaMap found full, partial or no representation of the concept. For full representations, we determined whether post-coordination was required. Our results showed that a large portion of concepts found in clinical narrative documents are either unrepresented or poorly represented in the current version of the UMLS Metathesaurus and that post-coordination was often required in order to fully represent a concept. PMID:22195097

  14. A multi-part matching strategy for mapping LOINC with laboratory terminologies

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Li-Hui; Groß, Anika; Hartung, Michael; Liou, Der-Ming; Rahm, Erhard

    2014-01-01

    Objective To address the problem of mapping local laboratory terminologies to Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC). To study different ontology matching algorithms and investigate how the probability of term combinations in LOINC helps to increase match quality and reduce manual effort. Materials and methods We proposed two matching strategies: full name and multi-part. The multi-part approach also considers the occurrence probability of combined concept parts. It can further recommend possible combinations of concept parts to allow more local terms to be mapped. Three real-world laboratory databases from Taiwanese hospitals were used to validate the proposed strategies with respect to different quality measures and execution run time. A comparison with the commonly used tool, Regenstrief LOINC Mapping Assistant (RELMA) Lab Auto Mapper (LAM), was also carried out. Results The new multi-part strategy yields the best match quality, with F-measure values between 89% and 96%. It can automatically match 70–85% of the laboratory terminologies to LOINC. The recommendation step can further propose mapping to (proposed) LOINC concepts for 9–20% of the local terminology concepts. On average, 91% of the local terminology concepts can be correctly mapped to existing or newly proposed LOINC concepts. Conclusions The mapping quality of the multi-part strategy is significantly better than that of LAM. It enables domain experts to perform LOINC matching with little manual work. The probability of term combinations proved to be a valuable strategy for increasing the quality of match results, providing recommendations for proposed LOINC conepts, and decreasing the run time for match processing. PMID:24363318

  15. The Effect of Flexible Small Groups on Math Achievement in First Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benders, David; Craft, Tracy

    2016-01-01

    This action research study explores the Guided Math Approach to improving math scores for first grade students. Previous MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) scores were used to measure proficiency and students were placed in separate categories for appropriate instruction. This study reviewed math achievement scores on MAP test from a First grade…

  16. Geomorphological hazards and environmental impact: Assessment and mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panizza, Mario

    In five sections the author develops the methods for the integration of geomorphological concepts into Environmental Impact and Mapping. The first section introduces the concepts of Impact and Risk through the relationships between Geomorphological Environment and Anthropical Element. The second section proposes a methodology for the determination of Geomorphological Hazard and the identification of Geomorphological Risk. The third section synthesizes the procedure for the compilation of a Geomorphological Hazards Map. The fourth section outlines the concepts of Geomorphological Resource Assessment for the analysis of the Environmental Impact. The fifth section considers the contribution of geomorphological studies and mapping in the procedure for Environmental Impact Assessment.

  17. Mapping Changes in Science Teachers' Content Knowledge: Concept Maps and Authentic Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greene, Barbara A.; Lubin, Ian A.; Slater, Janis L.; Walden, Susan E.

    2013-01-01

    Two studies were conducted to examine content knowledge changes following 2 weeks of professional development that included scientific research with university scientists. Engaging teachers in scientific research is considered to be an effective way of encouraging knowledge of both inquiry pedagogy and content knowledge. We used concept maps with…

  18. A Different Approach to Preparing Novakian Concept Maps: The Indexing Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turan Oluk, Nurcan; Ekmekci, Güler

    2016-01-01

    People who claim that applying Novakian concept maps in Turkish is problematic base their arguments largely upon the structural differences between the English and Turkish languages. This study aims to introduce the indexing method to eliminate problems encountered in Turkish applications of Novakian maps and to share the preliminary results of…

  19. Appropriating Invention through Concept Maps in Writing for Multimedia and the Web

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bacabac, Florence Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    As an alternative approach to web preproduction, I propose the use of concept maps for invention of website projects in business and professional writing courses. This mapping device approximates our students' initial site plans since rough ideas are formed based on a substantial exploratory technique. Incorporated in various disciplines, the…

  20. The ACS Exams Institute Undergraduate Chemistry Anchoring Concepts Content Map III: Inorganic Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marek, Keith A.; Raker, Jeffery R.; Holme, Thomas A.; Murphy, Kristen L.

    2018-01-01

    For the past eight years, the ACS Examinations Institute has been developing Anchoring Concepts Content Maps for the different subdisciplines taught throughout the undergraduate curriculum. The structure of the map consists of two top levels that are shared throughout the entire curriculum and two subdiscipline specific levels that contain…

  1. Food parenting practices for 5 to 12 year old children: a concept map analysis of parenting and nutrition experts input.

    PubMed

    O'Connor, Teresia M; Mâsse, Louise C; Tu, Andrew W; Watts, Allison W; Hughes, Sheryl O; Beauchamp, Mark R; Baranowski, Tom; Pham, Truc; Berge, Jerica M; Fiese, Barbara; Golley, Rebecca; Hingle, Melanie; Kremers, Stef P J; Rhee, Kyung E; Skouteris, Helen; Vaughn, Amber

    2017-09-11

    Parents are an important influence on children's dietary intake and eating behaviors. However, the lack of a conceptual framework and inconsistent assessment of food parenting practices limits our understanding of which food parenting practices are most influential on children. The aim of this study was to develop a food parenting practice conceptual framework using systematic approaches of literature reviews and expert input. A previously completed systematic review of food parenting practice instruments and a qualitative study of parents informed the development of a food parenting practice item bank consisting of 3632 food parenting practice items. The original item bank was further reduced to 110 key food parenting concepts using binning and winnowing techniques. A panel of 32 experts in parenting and nutrition were invited to sort the food parenting practice concepts into categories that reflected their perceptions of a food parenting practice conceptual framework. Multi-dimensional scaling produced a point map of the sorted concepts and hierarchical cluster analysis identified potential solutions. Subjective modifications were used to identify two potential solutions, with additional feedback from the expert panel requested. The experts came from 8 countries and 25 participated in the sorting and 23 provided additional feedback. A parsimonious and a comprehensive concept map were developed based on the clustering of the food parenting practice constructs. The parsimonious concept map contained 7 constructs, while the comprehensive concept map contained 17 constructs and was informed by a previously published content map for food parenting practices. Most of the experts (52%) preferred the comprehensive concept map, while 35% preferred to present both solutions. The comprehensive food parenting practice conceptual map will provide the basis for developing a calibrated Item Response Modeling (IRM) item bank that can be used with computerized adaptive testing. Such an item bank will allow for more consistency in measuring food parenting practices across studies to better assess the impact of food parenting practices on child outcomes and the effect of interventions that target parents as agents of change.

  2. The Effects of Using Concept Mapping for Improving Advanced Level Biology Students' Lower- and Higher-Order Cognitive Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

    2014-03-01

    This paper reports on teachers' use of concept mapping as an alternative assessment strategy in advanced level biology classes and its effects on students' cognitive skills on selected biology concepts. Using a mixed methods approach, the study employed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design involving 156 students and 8 teachers from intact classes. A researcher-constructed Biology Cognitive Skills Test was used to collect the quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and students' personal documents. The data showed that the participants utilized concept mapping in various ways and they described positive experiences while being engaged in its use. The main challenge cited by teachers was the limited time available for more consistent use. The results showed that the use of concept mapping in advanced level biology can lead to learning gains that exceed those achieved in classes where mainly traditional methods are used. The students in the concept mapping experimental groups performed significantly better than their peers in the control group on both the lower-order (F(1) = 21.508; p < .001) and higher-order (F(1) = 42.842, p < .001) cognitive items of the biology test. A mean effect size of .56 was calculated representing the contribution of treatment to the students' performance on the test items.

  3. Mapping the Infrared Sky Artist Concept

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-11-17

    This artist conception shows NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mapping the whole sky in infrared. The mission will unveil hundreds of thousands of asteroids, and hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies.

  4. Nomads with Maps: Musical Connections in a Glocalized World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richerme, Lauren Kapalka

    2013-01-01

    This article presents the author's views on the concepts of the philosophers Deleuze and Guattari on striated (sedentary) space and smooth (mobile) space, asserting that "nomads" can move freely about their space. She relates these concepts to music education, incorporating Deleuze and Guattari's concept of mapping as it…

  5. Externalising Students' Mental Models through Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Shu-Nu

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to use concept maps as an "expressed model" to investigate students' mental models regarding the homeostasis of blood sugar. The difficulties in learning the concept of homeostasis and in probing mental models have been revealed in many studies. Homeostasis of blood sugar is one of the themes in junior high…

  6. Psychometric and Edumetric Validity of Dimensions of Geomorphological Knowledge Which Are Tapped by Concept Mapping.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoz, Ron; Bowman, Dan; Chacham, Tova

    1997-01-01

    Students (N=14) in a geomorphology course took an objective geomorphology test, the tree construction task, and the Standardized Concept Structuring Analysis Technique (SConSAT) version of concept mapping. Results suggest that the SConSAT knowledge structure dimensions have moderate to good construct validity. Contains 82 references. (DDR)

  7. Joined up Thinking? Evaluating the Use of Concept-Mapping to Develop Complex System Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Martyn

    2012-01-01

    In the physical and natural sciences, the complexity of natural systems and their interactions is becoming better understood. With increased emphasis on learning about complex systems, students will be encountering concepts that are dynamic, ill-structured and interconnected. Concept-mapping is a method considered particularly valuable for…

  8. Does Constructivist Approach Applicable through Concept Maps to Achieve Meaningful Learning in Science?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jena, Ananta Kumar

    2012-01-01

    This study deals with the application of constructivist approach through individual and cooperative modes of spider and hierarchical concept maps to achieve meaningful learning on science concepts (e.g. acids, bases & salts, physical and chemical changes). The main research questions were: Q (1): is there any difference in individual and…

  9. Using Concept Maps to Assess the Effect of Graphing Calculators Use on Students' Concept Images of the Derivative at a Point

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Serhan, Derar

    2009-01-01

    This study used concept maps to investigate the effect of using graphing calculators on students' understanding of the derivative at a point. The study looked for differences between the concept images that are held by students' who are using graphing calculators and the students who are not using them. Seventy one students enrolled in two…

  10. Concept Mapping Assessment of Media Assisted Learning in Interdisciplinary Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaal, Steffen; Bogner, Franz X.; Girwidz, Raimund

    2010-05-01

    Acquisition of conceptual knowledge is a central aim in science education. In this study we monitored an interdisciplinary hypermedia assisted learning unit on hibernation and thermodynamics based on cooperative learning. We used concept mapping for the assessment, applying a pre-test/post-test design. In our study, 106 9th graders cooperated by working in pairs ( n = 53) for six lessons. As an interdisciplinary learning activity in such complex knowledge domains has to combine many different aspects, we focused on long-term knowledge. Learners working cooperatively in dyads constructed computer-supported concept maps which were analysed by specific software. The data analysis encompassed structural aspects of the knowledge corresponding to a target reference map. After the learning unit, the results showed the acquisition of higher-order domain-specific knowledge structures which indicates successful interdisciplinary learning through the hypermedia learning environment. The benefit of using a computer-assisted concept mapping assessment for research in science education, and in science classrooms is considered.

  11. Teaching Map Concepts in Social Science Education; an Evaluation with Undergraduate Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bugdayci, Ilkay; Zahit Selvi, H.

    2017-12-01

    One of the most important aim of the geography and social science courses is to gain the ability of reading, analysing and understanding maps. There are a lot of themes related with maps and map concepts in social studies education. Geographical location is one of the most important theme. Geographical location is specified by geographical coordinates called latitude and longitude. The geographical coordinate system is the primary spatial reference system of the earth. It is always used in cartography, in geography, in basic location calculations such as navigation and surveying. It’s important to support teacher candidates, to teach maps and related concepts. Cartographers also have important missions and responsibilities in this context. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge of undergraduate students, about the geographical location. For this purpose, a research has been carried out on questions and activities related to geographical location and related concepts. The details and results of the research conducted by the students in the study are explained.

  12. A Body of Work Standard-Setting Method with Construct Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyse, Adam E.; Bunch, Michael B.; Deville, Craig; Viger, Steven G.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes a novel variation of the Body of Work method that uses construct maps to overcome problems of transparency, rater inconsistency, and scores gaps commonly occurring with the Body of Work method. The Body of Work method with construct maps was implemented to set cut-scores for two separate K-12 assessment programs in a large…

  13. Self Perceptions of Young Adults who Survived Severe Childhood Burn Injury

    PubMed Central

    Russell, W; Robert, RS; Thomas, CR; Holzer, CE; Blakeney, P; Meyer, WJ

    2012-01-01

    Objective The transition of pediatric burn survivors into adulthood is accompanied by a reformulation of their self concept. In order to anticipate the need for and guide development of appropriate psychosocial interventions, this study examines how young adults who were burned as children perceive themselves and how this perception might affect their self-esteem. Method 82 young adult burn survivors (45 males, 37 females) were assessed using the Tennessee Self-Concept, 2nd Edition (TSCS2) to determine how the participants perceive themselves and their interaction with society. To gain insight into the possible effects of these self-concept scores, relationships were analyzed between self-concept, a behavioral assessment (Young Adult Self-Report, YASR) and a psychiatric symptom assessment (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, SCID I). Results This group of burn survivors scored significantly lower in self-concepts, reflected in TSCS2 sub-scale scores of Physical function, appearance, and sexuality, Moral conduct, Personal values, Academics and work, and Identity than did the reference population. Pearson correlation coefficients showed that as Moral, Personal, Family and Social aspects of self concept decreased, clinical problems endorsed on the YASR sub-scales increased, including Anxiety Somatic, Attention, Intrusive and Aggressive. Persons with lower self-concept scores on the TSCS2 Personal, Family, and Social Scales, were more withdrawn on the YASR. Similarly those with lower TSCS2 scores on the Personal and Family Scales endorsed significantly more Thought Problems on the YASR. Affective distress on the SCID I was associated with significantly lower self concept. TSCS2 Total Self Concept, Personal, and all of the Supplementary Scale scores were significantly lower for the group with an affective disorder. Those whose SCID I scores were consistent with a current anxiety disorder had significantly lower scores for the TSCS2 Total Self Concept and Personal. Lower self-concept was associated with endorsement of SCID I symptoms (Identity, p= .0018, Satisfaction, p=.0018, and Behavior, p= .0004). Although the major limitation of this study using the TSCS2 is the lack of a matched reference population to compare with the burn survivors, the TSCS2 does help in gaining insight into the self esteem issues of this population. PMID:23202876

  14. Mapping biomedical concepts onto the human genome by mining literature on chromosomal aberrations

    PubMed Central

    Van Vooren, Steven; Thienpont, Bernard; Menten, Björn; Speleman, Frank; Moor, Bart De; Vermeesch, Joris; Moreau, Yves

    2007-01-01

    Biomedical literature provides a rich but unstructured source of associations between chromosomal regions and biomedical concepts. By mining MEDLINE abstracts, we annotate the human genome at the level of cytogenetic bands. Our method creates a set of chromosomal aberration maps that associate cytogenetic bands to biomedical concepts from a variety of controlled vocabularies, including disease, dysmorphology, anatomy, development and Gene Ontology branches. The association between a band (e.g. 4p16.3) and a concept (e.g. microcephaly) is assessed by the statistical overrepresentation of this concept in the abstracts relating to this band. Our method is validated using existing genome annotation resources and known chromosomal aberration maps and is further illustrated through a case study on heart disease. Our chromosomal aberration maps provide diagnostics support to clinical geneticists, aid cytogeneticists to interpret and report cytogenetic findings and support researchers interested in human gene function. The method is available as a web application, aBandApart, at http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/abandapart/. PMID:17403693

  15. Recognizing lexical and semantic change patterns in evolving life science ontologies to inform mapping adaptation.

    PubMed

    Dos Reis, Julio Cesar; Dinh, Duy; Da Silveira, Marcos; Pruski, Cédric; Reynaud-Delaître, Chantal

    2015-03-01

    Mappings established between life science ontologies require significant efforts to maintain them up to date due to the size and frequent evolution of these ontologies. In consequence, automatic methods for applying modifications on mappings are highly demanded. The accuracy of such methods relies on the available description about the evolution of ontologies, especially regarding concepts involved in mappings. However, from one ontology version to another, a further understanding of ontology changes relevant for supporting mapping adaptation is typically lacking. This research work defines a set of change patterns at the level of concept attributes, and proposes original methods to automatically recognize instances of these patterns based on the similarity between attributes denoting the evolving concepts. This investigation evaluates the benefits of the proposed methods and the influence of the recognized change patterns to select the strategies for mapping adaptation. The summary of the findings is as follows: (1) the Precision (>60%) and Recall (>35%) achieved by comparing manually identified change patterns with the automatic ones; (2) a set of potential impact of recognized change patterns on the way mappings is adapted. We found that the detected correlations cover ∼66% of the mapping adaptation actions with a positive impact; and (3) the influence of the similarity coefficient calculated between concept attributes on the performance of the recognition algorithms. The experimental evaluations conducted with real life science ontologies showed the effectiveness of our approach to accurately characterize ontology evolution at the level of concept attributes. This investigation confirmed the relevance of the proposed change patterns to support decisions on mapping adaptation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. A study of the impact of collaborative learning on student learning of major concepts in a microbiology laboratory exercise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baumgarten, Kristyne A.

    This study investigated the possible relationship between collaborative learning strategies and the learning of core concepts. This study examined the differences between two groups of nursing students enrolled in an introductory microbiology laboratory course. The control group consisted of students enrolled in sections taught in the traditional method. The experimental group consisted of those students enrolled in the sections using collaborative learning strategies. The groups were assessed on their degrees of learning core concepts using a pre-test/post-test method. Scores from the groups' laboratory reports were also analyzed. There was no difference in the two group's pre-test scores. The post-test scores of the experimental group averaged 11 points higher than the scores of the control group. The lab report scores of the experimental group averaged 15 points higher than those scores of the control group. The data generated from this study demonstrated that collaborative learning strategies can be used to increase students learning of core concepts in microbiology labs.

  17. Macromolecular target prediction by self-organizing feature maps.

    PubMed

    Schneider, Gisbert; Schneider, Petra

    2017-03-01

    Rational drug discovery would greatly benefit from a more nuanced appreciation of the activity of pharmacologically active compounds against a diverse panel of macromolecular targets. Already, computational target-prediction models assist medicinal chemists in library screening, de novo molecular design, optimization of active chemical agents, drug re-purposing, in the spotting of potential undesired off-target activities, and in the 'de-orphaning' of phenotypic screening hits. The self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm has been employed successfully for these and other purposes. Areas covered: The authors recapitulate contemporary artificial neural network methods for macromolecular target prediction, and present the basic SOM algorithm at a conceptual level. Specifically, they highlight consensus target-scoring by the employment of multiple SOMs, and discuss the opportunities and limitations of this technique. Expert opinion: Self-organizing feature maps represent a straightforward approach to ligand clustering and classification. Some of the appeal lies in their conceptual simplicity and broad applicability domain. Despite known algorithmic shortcomings, this computational target prediction concept has been proven to work in prospective settings with high success rates. It represents a prototypic technique for future advances in the in silico identification of the modes of action and macromolecular targets of bioactive molecules.

  18. Conceptual Maps for Training Tutors in the Distance Learning of Business Administration Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendes, Elise; Jordão de Carvalho, Claudinê; Gargiulo, Victor; da Mota Alves, João Bosco

    2014-01-01

    This article aims at reporting on the process of tutors training for the planning of distance education at the undergraduate Administration course at the Federal University of Uberlandia-Brazil. It describes a participatory research training of tutors in the use of concept mapping (CM) and concept mapping software to encourage individual…

  19. Using Concept Maps to Elicit and Study Student Teachers' Perceptions about Inclusive Education: A Tanzanian Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wormnaes, Siri; Mkumbo, Kitila; Skaar, Bjørn; Refseth, Yngve

    2015-01-01

    In this study, concept map activities were used to trigger group discussions about inclusive education, with a focus on learners with disabilities. The participants were 226 Tanzanian student teachers. This article reports and discusses how the maps were analysed and what they indicate about the students' thinking about certain aspects of…

  20. Enhancing Collaborative and Meaningful Language Learning Through Concept Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marriott, Rita De Cássia Veiga; Torres, Patrícia Lupion

    This chapter aims to investigate new ways of foreign-language teaching/learning via a study of how concept mapping can help develop a student's reading, writing and oral skills as part of a blended methodology for language teaching known as LAPLI (Laboratorio de Aprendizagem de LInguas: The Language Learning Lab). LAPLI is a student-centred and collaborative methodology which encourages students to challenge their limitations and expand their current knowledge whilst developing their linguistic and interpersonal skills. We explore the theories that underpin LAPLI and detail the 12 activities comprising its programme with specify reference to the use of "concept mapping". An innovative table enabling a formative and summative assessment of the concept maps is formulated. Also presented are some of the qualitative and quantitative results achieved when this methodology was first implemented with a group of pre-service students studying for a degree in English and Portuguese languages at the Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in Brazil. The contribution of concept mapping and LAPLI to an under standing of language learning along with a consideration of the difficulties encountered in its implementation with student groups is discussed and suggestions made for future research.

  1. The Facebook Influence Model: A Concept Mapping Approach

    PubMed Central

    Kota, Rajitha; Schoohs, Shari; Whitehill, Jennifer M.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Facebook is a popular social media Web site that has been hypothesized to exert potential influence over users' attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to explain influential aspects of Facebook. This mixed methods study applied concept mapping methodology, a validated five-step method to visually represent complex topics. The five steps comprise preparation, brainstorming, sort and rank, analysis, and interpretation. College student participants were identified using purposeful sampling. The 80 participants had a mean age of 20.5 years, and included 36% males. A total of 169 statements were generated during brainstorming, and sorted into between 6 and 22 groups. The final concept map included 13 clusters. Interpretation data led to grouping of clusters into four final domains, including connection, comparison, identification, and Facebook as an experience. The Facebook Influence Concept Map illustrates key constructs that contribute to influence, incorporating perspectives of older adolescent Facebook users. While Facebook provides a novel lens through which to consider behavioral influence, it can best be considered in the context of existing behavioral theory. The concept map may be used toward development of potential future intervention efforts. PMID:23621717

  2. The Facebook influence model: a concept mapping approach.

    PubMed

    Moreno, Megan A; Kota, Rajitha; Schoohs, Shari; Whitehill, Jennifer M

    2013-07-01

    Facebook is a popular social media Web site that has been hypothesized to exert potential influence over users' attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to explain influential aspects of Facebook. This mixed methods study applied concept mapping methodology, a validated five-step method to visually represent complex topics. The five steps comprise preparation, brainstorming, sort and rank, analysis, and interpretation. College student participants were identified using purposeful sampling. The 80 participants had a mean age of 20.5 years, and included 36% males. A total of 169 statements were generated during brainstorming, and sorted into between 6 and 22 groups. The final concept map included 13 clusters. Interpretation data led to grouping of clusters into four final domains, including connection, comparison, identification, and Facebook as an experience. The Facebook Influence Concept Map illustrates key constructs that contribute to influence, incorporating perspectives of older adolescent Facebook users. While Facebook provides a novel lens through which to consider behavioral influence, it can best be considered in the context of existing behavioral theory. The concept map may be used toward development of potential future intervention efforts.

  3. Appropriateness of ICNP in Korean home care nursing.

    PubMed

    Kang, Min-Jeoung; Kim, Soon-Lae; Lee, Jong-Eun; Jung, Chai Young; Kim, Sukil

    2015-09-01

    There are several hospitals in Korea that introduced the ICNP (International Classification for Nursing Practice) as the standard terminology for clinical and home care nursing. This research attempted to determine the appropriateness of ICNP in Korean, hospital based, home care nursing. The data was collected from a home care nursing center from January 1, 2009 to September 21, 2012. The center is operated by a Korean teaching hospital equipped with an ICNP based electronic nursing record (ENR) system. Via a refining process, 40,082 simplified sentences of nursing intervention were acquired from 41,158 nursing records. Among them, 545 preferred nursing statements were extracted, then mapped, to ICNP 2011 at both axis and sentence levels. The mapping results were classified into three categories based on the axis of concept origin and the level of hierarchy. These categories were titled: complete, incomplete and no mapping. Out of 45 unique concepts in the action axis, 42 (93.33%) concepts were completely mapped. However, only 38 (15.08%), out of 252 unique concepts, were completely mapped in the focus axis. At the statement level, only 19.63% of statements were completely mapped. The ICNP is not useful as a tool for home care nursing in its present form. The granularity of ICNP has to be improved and more concepts, specific to home care nursing, need to be added in the focus and action axes. Also, a new measure needs to be introduced to prevent information loss during mapping. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Translation and integration of CCC nursing diagnoses into ICNP.

    PubMed

    Matney, Susan A; DaDamio, Rebecca; Couderc, Carmela; Dlugos, Mary; Evans, Jonathan; Gianonne, Gay; Haskell, Robert; Hardiker, Nicholas; Coenen, Amy; Saba, Virginia K

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to translate and integrate nursing diagnosis concepts from the Clinical Care Classification (CCC) System Version 2.0 to DiagnosticPhenomenon or nursing diagnostic statements in the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) Version 1.0. Source concepts for CCC were mapped by the project team, where possible, to pre-coordinated ICNP terms. The manual decomposition of source concepts according to the ICNP 7-Axis Model served to validate the mappings. A total of 62% of the CCC Nursing Diagnoses were a pre-coordinated match to an ICNP concept, 35% were a post-coordinated match and only 3% had no match. During the mapping process, missing CCC concepts were submitted to the ICNP Programme, with a recommendation for inclusion in future releases.

  5. Concept Mapping as an Approach to Facilitate Participatory Intervention Building.

    PubMed

    L Allen, Michele; Schaleben-Boateng, Dane; Davey, Cynthia S; Hang, Mikow; Pergament, Shannon

    2015-01-01

    A challenge to addressing community-defined need through community-based participatory intervention building is ensuring that all collaborators' opinions are represented. Concept mapping integrates perspectives of individuals with differing experiences, interests, or expertise into a common visually depicted framework, and ranks composite views on importance and feasibility. To describe the use of concept mapping to facilitate participatory intervention building for a school-based, teacher-focused, positive youth development (PYD) promotion program for Latino, Hmong, and Somali youth. Particiants were teachers, administrators, youth, parents, youth workers, and community and university researchers on the projects' community collaborative board. We incorporated previously collected qualitative data into the process. In a mixed-methods process we 1) generated statements based on key informant interview and focus group data from youth workers, teachers, parents, and youth in multiple languages regarding ways teachers promote PYD for Somali, Latino and Hmong youth; 2) guided participants to individually sort statements into meaningful groupings and rate them by importance and feasibility; 3) mapped the statements based on their relation to each other using multivariate statistical analyses to identify concepts, and as a group identified labels for each concept; and 4) used labels and statement ratings to identify feasible and important concepts as priorities for intervention development. We identified 12 concepts related to PYD promotion in schools and prioritized 8 for intervention development. Concept mapping facilitated participatory intervention building by formally representing all participants' opinions, generating visual representation of group thinking, and supporting priority setting. Use of prior qualitative work increased the diversity of viewpoints represented.

  6. Concept Maps as a Tool to Analyse College Students' Knowledge of Geospatial Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oda, Katsuhiko

    2016-01-01

    This study focused on college students' development of conceptual knowledge in geographic information system (GIS). The aim of this study was to examine if and how students developed their conceptual knowledge during their enrollment in an introductory-level GIS course. Twelve undergraduate students constructed 36 concept maps and revised 24…

  7. An Investigation of Concept Mapping to Improve the Reading Comprehension of Science Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, Kevin

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated how well 74 6th-grade science students represented text structures from a 900-word textbook chapter on soil conservation, given a concept map template with four superordinate terms and 24 unsorted concepts. Findings suggest students were more successful at classifying pre-selected terms under given superordinate categories…

  8. Concept Mapping: Effects on Content Knowledge and Engagement with Content in Elementary Students' Persuasive Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Melissa England

    2015-01-01

    This comparative pre-test/post-test quantitative study investigated the effect of an instructional strategy using concept mapping as a graphic organizer on the quality of persuasive writing compositions produced by fourth grade elementary school students. Six fourth grade classes were assigned as intact groups to three conditions: concept mapping…

  9. Integrating Concept Mapping into Information Systems Education for Meaningful Learning and Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wei, Wei; Yue, Kwok-Bun

    2017-01-01

    Concept map (CM) is a theoretically sound yet easy to learn tool and can be effectively used to represent knowledge. Even though many disciplines have adopted CM as a teaching and learning tool to improve learning effectiveness, its application in IS curriculum is sparse. Meaningful learning happens when one iteratively integrates new concepts and…

  10. Exploring psychosocial task resolution and self-concept among African-American adolescents.

    PubMed

    Brookins, C C

    1996-06-01

    Developmental task resolution and self-concept of adolescents were examined for a sample of 110 African-American youth. The Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory was used to measure Erikson's stages of psychological development and the Bronstein-Cruz Child/Adolescent Self-concept and Adjustment Scale was used to measure multiple components of the self-concept. Scores for Self-concept and Resolution of Identity stages were highly correlated although scores on Resolution of Identity, commonly seen as the primary psychosocial task of adolescence, were not related to scores on either Emotional Well-being or Family Relations. The results are discussed in terms of improving understanding of relationships between processes in development, identity, and other salient psychosocial variables.

  11. Clusters of cultures: diversity in meaning of family value and gender role items across Europe.

    PubMed

    van Vlimmeren, Eva; Moors, Guy B D; Gelissen, John P T M

    2017-01-01

    Survey data are often used to map cultural diversity by aggregating scores of attitude and value items across countries. However, this procedure only makes sense if the same concept is measured in all countries. In this study we argue that when (co)variances among sets of items are similar across countries, these countries share a common way of assigning meaning to the items. Clusters of cultures can then be observed by doing a cluster analysis on the (co)variance matrices of sets of related items. This study focuses on family values and gender role attitudes. We find four clusters of cultures that assign a distinct meaning to these items, especially in the case of gender roles. Some of these differences reflect response style behavior in the form of acquiescence. Adjusting for this style effect impacts on country comparisons hence demonstrating the usefulness of investigating the patterns of meaning given to sets of items prior to aggregating scores into cultural characteristics.

  12. "Fibromyalgia and quality of life: mapping the revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire to the preference-based instruments".

    PubMed

    Collado-Mateo, Daniel; Chen, Gang; Garcia-Gordillo, Miguel A; Iezzi, Angelo; Adsuar, José C; Olivares, Pedro R; Gusi, Narcis

    2017-05-30

    The revised version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) is one of the most widely used specific questionnaires in FM studies. However, this questionnaire does not allow calculation of QALYs as it is not a preference-based measure. The aim of this study was to develop mapping algorithm which enable FIQR scores to be transformed into utility scores that can be used in the cost utility analyses. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. One hundred and 92 Spanish women with Fibromyalgia were asked to complete four general quality of life questionnaires, i.e. EQ-5D-5 L, 15D, AQoL-8D and SF-12, and one specific disease instrument, the FIQR. A direct mapping approach was adopted to derive mapping algorithms between the FIQR and each of the four multi-attribute utility (MAU) instruments. Health state utility was treated as the dependent variable in the regression analysis, whilst the FIQR score and age were predictors. The mean utility scores ranged from 0.47 (AQoL-8D) to 0.69 (15D). All correlations between the FIQR total score and MAU instruments utility scores were highly significant (p < 0.0001) with magnitudes larger than 0.5. Although very slight differences in the mean absolute error were found between ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator and generalized linear model (GLM), models based on GLM were better for EQ-5D-5 L, AQoL-8D and 15D. Mapping algorithms developed in this study enable the estimation of utility values from scores in a fibromyalgia specific questionnaire.

  13. Impact of visual impairment on the lives of young adults in the Netherlands: a concept-mapping approach.

    PubMed

    Elsman, Ellen Bernadette Maria; van Rens, Gerardus Hermanus Maria Bartholomeus; van Nispen, Ruth Marie Antoinette

    2017-12-01

    While the impact of visual impairments on specific aspects of young adults' lives is well recognised, a systematic understanding of its impact on all life aspects is lacking. This study aims to provide an overview of life aspects affected by visual impairment in young adults (aged 18-25 years) using a concept-mapping approach. Visually impaired young adults (n = 22) and rehabilitation professionals (n = 16) participated in online concept-mapping workshops (brainstorm procedure), to explore how having a visual impairment influences the lives of young adults. Statements were categorised based on similarity and importance. Using multidimensional scaling, concept maps were produced and interpreted. A total of 59 and 260 statements were generated by young adults and professionals, respectively, resulting in 99 individual statements after checking and deduplication. The combined concept map revealed 11 clusters: work, study, information and regulations, social skills, living independently, computer, social relationships, sport and activities, mobility, leisure time, and hobby. The concept maps provided useful insight into activities influenced by visual impairments in young adults, which can be used by rehabilitation centres to improve their services. This might help in goal setting, rehabilitation referral and successful transition to adult life, ultimately increasing participation and quality of life. Implications for rehabilitation Having a visual impairment affects various life-aspects related to participation, including activities related to work, study, social skills and relationships, activities of daily living, leisure time and mobility. Concept-mapping helped to identify the life aspects affected by low vision, and quantify these aspects in terms of importance according to young adults and low vision rehabilitation professionals. Low vision rehabilitation centres should focus on all life aspects found in this study when identifying the needs of young adults, as this might aid goal setting and rehabilitation referral, ultimately leading to more successful transitions, better participation and quality of life.

  14. Nursing care plans versus concept maps in the enhancement of critical thinking skills in nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program.

    PubMed

    Sinatra-Wilhelm, Tina

    2012-01-01

    Appropriate and effective critical thinking and problem solving is necessary for all nurses in order to make complex decisions that improve patient outcomes, safety, and quality of nursing care. With the current emphasis on quality improvement, critical thinking ability is a noteworthy concern within the nursing profession. An in-depth review of literature related to critical thinking was performed. The use of nursing care plans and concept mapping to improve critical thinking skills was among the recommendations identified. This study compares the use of nursing care plans and concept mapping as a teaching strategy for the enhancement of critical thinking skills in baccalaureate level nursing students. The California Critical Thinking Skills Test was used as a method of comparison and evaluation. Results indicate that concept mapping enhances critical thinking skills in baccalaureate nursing students.

  15. Improving learning with science and social studies text using computer-based concept maps for students with disabilities.

    PubMed

    Ciullo, Stephen; Falcomata, Terry S; Pfannenstiel, Kathleen; Billingsley, Glenna

    2015-01-01

    Concept maps have been used to help students with learning disabilities (LD) improve literacy skills and content learning, predominantly in secondary school. However, despite increased access to classroom technology, no previous studies have examined the efficacy of computer-based concept maps to improve learning from informational text for students with LD in elementary school. In this study, we used a concurrent delayed multiple probe design to evaluate the interactive use of computer-based concept maps on content acquisition with science and social studies texts for Hispanic students with LD in Grades 4 and 5. Findings from this study suggest that students improved content knowledge during intervention relative to a traditional instruction baseline condition. Learning outcomes and social validity information are considered to inform recommendations for future research and the feasibility of classroom implementation. © The Author(s) 2014.

  16. The synthesis map is a multidimensional educational tool that provides insight into students' mental models and promotes students' synthetic knowledge generation.

    PubMed

    Ortega, Ryan A; Brame, Cynthia J

    2015-01-01

    Concept mapping was developed as a method of displaying and organizing hierarchical knowledge structures. Using the new, multidimensional presentation software Prezi, we have developed a new teaching technique designed to engage higher-level skills in the cognitive domain. This tool, synthesis mapping, is a natural evolution of concept mapping, which utilizes embedding to layer information within concepts. Prezi's zooming user interface lets the author of the presentation use both depth as well as distance to show connections between data, ideas, and concepts. Students in the class Biology of Cancer created synthesis maps to illustrate their knowledge of tumorigenesis. Students used multiple organizational schemes to build their maps. We present an analysis of student work, placing special emphasis on organization within student maps and how the organization of knowledge structures in student maps can reveal strengths and weaknesses in student understanding or instruction. We also provide a discussion of best practices for instructors who would like to implement synthesis mapping in their classrooms. © 2015 R. A. Ortega and C. J. Brame et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  17. Bacillus anthracis genome organization in light of whole transcriptome sequencing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Martin, Jeffrey; Zhu, Wenhan; Passalacqua, Karla D.

    2010-03-22

    Emerging knowledge of whole prokaryotic transcriptomes could validate a number of theoretical concepts introduced in the early days of genomics. What are the rules connecting gene expression levels with sequence determinants such as quantitative scores of promoters and terminators? Are translation efficiency measures, e.g. codon adaptation index and RBS score related to gene expression? We used the whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing of a bacterial pathogen Bacillus anthracis to assess correlation of gene expression level with promoter, terminator and RBS scores, codon adaptation index, as well as with a new measure of gene translational efficiency, average translation speed. We compared computationalmore » predictions of operon topologies with the transcript borders inferred from RNA-Seq reads. Transcriptome mapping may also improve existing gene annotation. Upon assessment of accuracy of current annotation of protein-coding genes in the B. anthracis genome we have shown that the transcriptome data indicate existence of more than a hundred genes missing in the annotation though predicted by an ab initio gene finder. Interestingly, we observed that many pseudogenes possess not only a sequence with detectable coding potential but also promoters that maintain transcriptional activity.« less

  18. Improved cryoEM-Guided Iterative Molecular Dynamics–Rosetta Protein Structure Refinement Protocol for High Precision Protein Structure Prediction

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Many excellent methods exist that incorporate cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) data to constrain computational protein structure prediction and refinement. Previously, it was shown that iteration of two such orthogonal sampling and scoring methods – Rosetta and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations – facilitated exploration of conformational space in principle. Here, we go beyond a proof-of-concept study and address significant remaining limitations of the iterative MD–Rosetta protein structure refinement protocol. Specifically, all parts of the iterative refinement protocol are now guided by medium-resolution cryoEM density maps, and previous knowledge about the native structure of the protein is no longer necessary. Models are identified solely based on score or simulation time. All four benchmark proteins showed substantial improvement through three rounds of the iterative refinement protocol. The best-scoring final models of two proteins had sub-Ångstrom RMSD to the native structure over residues in secondary structure elements. Molecular dynamics was most efficient in refining secondary structure elements and was thus highly complementary to the Rosetta refinement which is most powerful in refining side chains and loop regions. PMID:25883538

  19. Pedagogical Knowledge Representation through Concept Mapping as a Study and Collaboration Tool in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koc, Mustafa

    2012-01-01

    This study explored (a) pre-service teachers' perceptions of using concept mapping (CM) in one of their pedagogical courses, (b) the predictive power of such implementation in course achievement, and (c) the role of prior experience with CM, type of mapping, and gender on their perceptions and performances in CM and achievement. The subjects were…

  20. The Use of Concept Maps to Assess Preservice Teacher Understanding: A Formative Approach in Mathematics Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brakoniecki, Aaron; Shah, Fahmil

    2017-01-01

    The research reported in this article explored the methods by which concept maps served as formative assessment by capturing changes in the ways preservice mathematics teachers represented their understanding of algebra. The participants were enrolled in a course on high school algebra for teachers and created the maps on the first and last day of…

  1. Examining Science Teachers' Argumentation in a Teacher Workshop on Earthquake Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavlazoglu, Baki; Stuessy, Carol

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the quality of science teachers' argumentation as a result of their engagement in a teacher workshop on earthquake engineering emphasizing distributed learning approaches, which included concept mapping, collaborative game playing, and group lesson planning. The participants were ten high school science teachers from US high schools who elected to attend the workshop. To begin and end the teacher workshop, teachers in small groups engaged in concept mapping exercises with other teachers. Researchers audio-recorded individual teachers' argumentative statements about the inclusion of earthquake engineering concepts in their concept maps, which were then analyzed to reveal the quality of teachers' argumentation. Toulmin's argumentation model formed the framework for designing a classification schema to analyze the quality of participants' argumentative statements. While the analysis of differences in pre- and post-workshop concept mapping exercises revealed that the number of argumentative statements did not change significantly, the quality of participants' argumentation did increase significantly. As these differences occurred concurrently with distributed learning approaches used throughout the workshop, these results provide evidence to support distributed learning approaches in professional development workshop activities to increase the quality of science teachers' argumentation. Additionally, these results support the use of concept mapping as a cognitive scaffold to organize participants' knowledge, facilitate the presentation of argumentation, and as a research tool for providing evidence of teachers' argumentation skills.

  2. Developing Conceptions of Authority and Contract across the Lifespan: Two Perspectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, Theo L.; Gabrielian, Sonya

    2003-01-01

    Compares concepts defining Kohlbergian stages of moral development with those associated with orders of hierarchical complexity determined with a generalized content-independent stage-scoring system. Finds that Kohlberg's sequence generally matches that identified with the scoring system and that contract and authority concepts match the concepts…

  3. Interpreting the Externalised Images of Pupils' Conceptions of ICT: Methods for the Analysis of Concept Maps.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mavers, Diane; Somekh, Bridget; Restorick, Jane

    2002-01-01

    Describes the ImpacT2 evaluation of students aged ten to 16 in the United Kingdom that uses image-based concept mapping to explore the impact of networked technologies on students' learning. Explains a method for interviewing young students and discusses implications for the way that information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in…

  4. Concept Map Technique as a New Method for Whole Text Translation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krishan, Tamara Mohd Altabieri

    2017-01-01

    This study discusses the use of concept map tool as a new method for teaching translation (from English language to Arabic language). This study comprised 80 students divided into two groups. The first group was taught the new vocabulary by using the concept tool method, whereas the second group was taught the new vocabulary by the traditional…

  5. The Effects of Using Concept Mapping for Improving Advanced Level Biology Students' Lower- and Higher-Order Cognitive Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on teachers' use of concept mapping as an alternative assessment strategy in advanced level biology classes and its effects on students' cognitive skills on selected biology concepts. Using a mixed methods approach, the study employed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design involving 156 students and 8 teachers from…

  6. T2* mapping of hip joint cartilage in various histological grades of degeneration.

    PubMed

    Bittersohl, B; Miese, F R; Hosalkar, H S; Herten, M; Antoch, G; Krauspe, R; Zilkens, C

    2012-07-01

    To evaluate T2* values in various histological severities of osteoarthritis (OA). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and T2* mapping including a three-dimensional (3D) double-echo steady-state (DESS) sequence for morphological cartilage assessment and a 3D multiecho data image combination (MEDIC) sequence for T2* mapping were conducted in 21 human femoral head specimens with varying severities of OA. Subsequently, histological assessment was undertaken in all specimens to correlate the observations of T2* mapping with histological analyses. According to the Mankin score, four grades of histological changes were determined: grade 0 (Mankin scores of 0-4), grade I (scores of 5-8), grade II (scores of 9-10), and grade III (scores of 11-14). For reliability assessment, cartilage T2* measurements were repeated after 4 weeks in 10 randomly selected femoral head specimens. T2* values decreased significantly with increasing cartilage degeneration (total P-values <0.001) ranging from 36.3 ± 4.3 ms in grade 0 regions to 22.8 ± 4.3 ms in regions with grade III changes. Pearson correlation analysis proved a fair correlation between T2* values and Mankin score (correlation coefficient = -0.362) that was statistically significant (P-value <0.001). Intra-class correlation (ICC) analysis demonstrated high intra-observer reproducibility for the T2* measurement (ICC: 0.949, P < 0.001). Given the advantages of the T2* mapping technique with no need for contrast medium, high image resolution and ability to perform 3D biochemically sensitive imaging, T2* mapping may be a strong addition to the currently evolving era of cartilage biochemical imaging. Copyright © 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Scaffolding software: How does it influence student conceptual understanding and motivation?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Butler, Kyle A.

    The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of scaffolding software on student conceptual understanding and motivation. This study also provides insight on how students use the scaffolding features found in Artemis and the extent to which features show a relationship to student conceptual understanding and motivation. A Randomized Solomon Four Group Design was used in this study. As students worked through a project based unit over photosynthesis, the students performed information seeking activities that were based on their own inquiry. For this purpose, the students in the experimental group used an example of scaffolding software called Artemis, while the students in the control group used a search engine of their choice. To measure conceptual understanding, the researcher analyzed student generated concept maps on photosynthesis using three different methods (quantitative, qualitative, hierarchical). To measure motivation, the researcher used a survey that measured motivation on five different indicators: intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy for learning and performance. Finally, the researcher looked at the relationship and influence of the scaffolding features on two student performance scores at the end of the unit. This created a total of ten dependent variables in relationship to the treatment. Overall, the students used the collaborative features 25% of the time, the maintenance features 0.84% of the time, the organizational features 16% of the time, the saving/viewing features 7% of the time and the searching features 51% of the time. There were significant correlations between the saving/viewing features hits and the students' task value (r = .499, p < .05), the searching features hits and the students' self-efficacy for learning and performance (r = .553, p < .01), the collaborative features hits and the students' essay performance scores (r = .519, p < .05) and the maintenance features time and the qualitative analysis of the concept maps (r = .576, p < .01). Finally, the results indicated that the scaffolding features in Artemis did not influence student conceptual understanding and motivation.

  8. Escherichia coli O157:H7 reduction in hamburgers with regard to premature browning of minced beef, colour score and method for determining doneness.

    PubMed

    Boqvist, Sofia; Fernström, Lise-Lotte; Alsanius, Beatrix W; Lindqvist, Roland

    2015-12-23

    This study investigated the effect of premature browning (PMB) on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef hamburgers after cooking with respect to interior colour of the hamburger and recommendations to cook hamburgers to a core temperature of 71 °C. Assessment of doneness by visual inspection or measurement of internal temperature was compared in terms of survival and the increased relative risk of illness due to PMB was estimated. At the last consume-by-day, hamburgers made from minced meat packaged in 80/20 O2/CO2 (MAP hamburger) and from meat minced at retail packaged in atmospheric condition (control hamburger) were inoculated with a gfp-tagged strain of E. coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7gfp+). Hamburgers were cooked for different times during assessment of the core temperature every 30s and cut in halves after cooking. Doneness was evaluated based on visual judgement of the internal colour using a score chart (C-score) from 'uncooked' (score 1) to 'tan with no evidence of pink' (score 5). An alternative five point score chart (TCC-score) including texture of the meat, clarity of meat juice and internal colour was also developed. Enumeration of viable E. coli O157:H7gfp+ in cooked hamburgers was based on fluorescent colonies recovered from plates. Results showed that MAP hamburgers developed PMB when compared with controls (P=0.0003) and that the shortest cooking time for the highest C-score was 6 and 11 min for MAP and control hamburgers, respectively. The mean temperature in the MAP hamburger was then 60.3 °C. The TCC-score reduced the difference between MAP and control hamburgers. It was also shown that the survival of E. coli O157:H7gfp+ was highest in MAP hamburgers. The predicted absolute risks for illness were highest for MAP hamburgers for all C-scores and the relative risk associated with PMB increased with doneness. For a C-score of 4 (slightly pink) the predicted relative risk for illness was 300 times higher for MAP hamburger than for controls. A variable pathogen reduction was observed when cooking hamburgers to temperatures of 70-76 °C (the 5th and 95th percentile range was around 3.3 log CFU). The lower reductions, at the 5th percentile, may, depending on initial contamination levels, not be enough to ensure sufficient and safe inactivation of E. coli O157:H7. Efforts to inform consumers about PMB in minced meat packaged in high oxygen packages (≥60% O2) are needed with the aim to make consumers use thermometers correctly or at least not determine doneness based only on meat colour. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Matching biomedical ontologies based on formal concept analysis.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Mengyi; Zhang, Songmao; Li, Weizhuo; Chen, Guowei

    2018-03-19

    The goal of ontology matching is to identify correspondences between entities from different yet overlapping ontologies so as to facilitate semantic integration, reuse and interoperability. As a well developed mathematical model for analyzing individuals and structuring concepts, Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) has been applied to ontology matching (OM) tasks since the beginning of OM research, whereas ontological knowledge exploited in FCA-based methods is limited. This motivates the study in this paper, i.e., to empower FCA with as much as ontological knowledge as possible for identifying mappings across ontologies. We propose a method based on Formal Concept Analysis to identify and validate mappings across ontologies, including one-to-one mappings, complex mappings and correspondences between object properties. Our method, called FCA-Map, incrementally generates a total of five types of formal contexts and extracts mappings from the lattices derived. First, the token-based formal context describes how class names, labels and synonyms share lexical tokens, leading to lexical mappings (anchors) across ontologies. Second, the relation-based formal context describes how classes are in taxonomic, partonomic and disjoint relationships with the anchors, leading to positive and negative structural evidence for validating the lexical matching. Third, the positive relation-based context can be used to discover structural mappings. Afterwards, the property-based formal context describes how object properties are used in axioms to connect anchor classes across ontologies, leading to property mappings. Last, the restriction-based formal context describes co-occurrence of classes across ontologies in anonymous ancestors of anchors, from which extended structural mappings and complex mappings can be identified. Evaluation on the Anatomy, the Large Biomedical Ontologies, and the Disease and Phenotype track of the 2016 Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of FCA-Map and its competitiveness with the top-ranked systems. FCA-Map can achieve a better balance between precision and recall for large-scale domain ontologies through constructing multiple FCA structures, whereas it performs unsatisfactorily for smaller-sized ontologies with less lexical and semantic expressions. Compared with other FCA-based OM systems, the study in this paper is more comprehensive as an attempt to push the envelope of the Formal Concept Analysis formalism in ontology matching tasks. Five types of formal contexts are constructed incrementally, and their derived concept lattices are used to cluster the commonalities among classes at lexical and structural level, respectively. Experiments on large, real-world domain ontologies show promising results and reveal the power of FCA.

  10. Development, scoring, and reliability of the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS)

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Streetscape (microscale) features of the built environment can influence people’s perceptions of their neighborhoods’ suitability for physical activity. Many microscale audit tools have been developed, but few have published systematic scoring methods. We present the development, scoring, and reliability of the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) tool and its theoretically-based subscales. Methods MAPS was based on prior instruments and was developed to assess details of streetscapes considered relevant for physical activity. MAPS sections (route, segments, crossings, and cul-de-sacs) were scored by two independent raters for reliability analyses. There were 290 route pairs, 516 segment pairs, 319 crossing pairs, and 53 cul-de-sac pairs in the reliability sample. Individual inter-rater item reliability analyses were computed using Kappa, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and percent agreement. A conceptual framework for subscale creation was developed using theory, expert consensus, and policy relevance. Items were grouped into subscales, and subscales were analyzed for inter-rater reliability at tiered levels of aggregation. Results There were 160 items included in the subscales (out of 201 items total). Of those included in the subscales, 80 items (50.0%) had good/excellent reliability, 41 items (25.6%) had moderate reliability, and 18 items (11.3%) had low reliability, with limited variability in the remaining 21 items (13.1%). Seventeen of the 20 route section subscales, valence (positive/negative) scores, and overall scores (85.0%) demonstrated good/excellent reliability and 3 demonstrated moderate reliability. Of the 16 segment subscales, valence scores, and overall scores, 12 (75.0%) demonstrated good/excellent reliability, three demonstrated moderate reliability, and one demonstrated poor reliability. Of the 8 crossing subscales, valence scores, and overall scores, 6 (75.0%) demonstrated good/excellent reliability, and 2 demonstrated moderate reliability. The cul-de-sac subscale demonstrated good/excellent reliability. Conclusions MAPS items and subscales predominantly demonstrated moderate to excellent reliability. The subscales and scoring system represent a theoretically based framework for using these complex microscale data and may be applicable to other similar instruments. PMID:23621947

  11. The effect of composition (art or music) on the self-concept of hospitalized children.

    PubMed

    Colwell, Cynthia M; Davis, Kathy; Schroeder, Linda K

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of composition (art or music) on the self-concept of hospitalized children. The music composition was created using the program Making More Music. The art composition was a drawing using standard medium. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to measure self-concept. When examining subjects as one group, a significant difference from pre- to posttest for the Total score indicated an improved self-concept. Further analyses on each of the 6 categories indicated no significant differences. The art composition group had a significant difference from pre- to posttest for the Total score and for Popularity (POP). Although not significant, scores increased from pre- to posttest for Behavioral Adjustment (BEH), Physical Appearance (PHY), Freedom from Anxiety (FRE), and Happiness and Satisfaction (HAP). The music composition group had no significant difference from pre- to posttest for the Total score but a significant difference from pre- to posttest on Intellectual and School Status (INT) and Physical Appearance (PRY). Although not significant, scores increased from pre- to posttest for TOT, BEH, and HAP. There was a significant difference between the groups on 2 categories that indicated an improved self-concept for the music group under Intellectual and School Status and for the art group under Popularity.

  12. The IHMC CmapTools software in research and education: a multi-level use case in Space Meteorology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Messerotti, Mauro

    2010-05-01

    The IHMC (Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Florida University System, USA) CmapTools software is a powerful multi-platform tool for knowledge modelling in graphical form based on concept maps. In this work we present its application for the high-level development of a set of multi-level concept maps in the framework of Space Meteorology to act as the kernel of a space meteorology domain ontology. This is an example of a research use case, as a domain ontology coded in machine-readable form via e.g. OWL (Web Ontology Language) is suitable to be an active layer of any knowledge management system embedded in a Virtual Observatory (VO). Apart from being manageable at machine level, concept maps developed via CmapTools are intrinsically human-readable and can embed hyperlinks and objects of many kinds. Therefore they are suitable to be published on the web: the coded knowledge can be exploited for educational purposes by the students and the public, as the level of information can be naturally organized among linked concept maps in progressively increasing complexity levels. Hence CmapTools and its advanced version COE (Concept-map Ontology Editor) represent effective and user-friendly software tools for high-level knowledge represention in research and education.

  13. Effectiveness of concept mapping and traditional linear nursing care plans on critical thinking skills in clinical pediatric nursing course.

    PubMed

    Aein, Fereshteh; Aliakbari, Fatemeh

    2017-01-01

    Concept map is a useful cognitive tool for enhancing a student's critical thinking (CT) by encouraging students to process information deeply for understanding. However, the evidence regarding its effectiveness on nursing students' CT is contradictory. This paper compares the effectiveness of concept mapping and traditional linear nursing care planning on students' CT. An experimental design was used to examine the CT of 60 baccalaureate students who participated in pediatric clinical nursing course in the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran in 2013. Participants were randomly divided into six equal groups of each 10 student, of which three groups were the control group, and the others were the experimental group. The control group completed nine traditional linear nursing care plans, whereas experimental group completed nine concept maps during the course. Both groups showed significant improvement in overall and all subscales of the California CT skill test from pretest to posttest ( P < 0.001), but t -test demonstrated that improvement in students' CT skills in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group after the program ( P < 0.001). Our findings support that concept mapping can be used as a clinical teaching-learning activity to promote CT in nursing students.

  14. Concept mapping as a method to enhance evidence-based public health.

    PubMed

    van Bon-Martens, Marja J H; van de Goor, Ien A M; van Oers, Hans A M

    2017-02-01

    In this paper we explore the suitability of concept mapping as a method for integrating knowledge from science, practice, and policy. In earlier research we described and analysed five cases of concept mapping procedures in the Netherlands, serving different purposes and fields in public health. In the current paper, seven new concept mapping studies of co-produced work are added to extend this analysis. For each of these twelve studies we analysed: (1) how the method was able to integrate knowledge from practice with scientific knowledge by facilitating dialogue and collaboration between different stakeholders in the field of public health, such as academic researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and the public; (2) how the method was able to bring theory development a step further (scientific relevance); and (3) how the method was able to act as a sound basis for practical decision-making (practical relevance). Based on the answers to these research questions, all but one study was considered useful for building more evidence-based public health, even though the extent to which they underpinned actual decision-making varied. The chance of actually being implemented in practice seems strongly related to the extent to which the responsible decision-makers are involved in the way the concept map is prepared and executed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Effectiveness of concept mapping and traditional linear nursing care plans on critical thinking skills in clinical pediatric nursing course

    PubMed Central

    Aein, Fereshteh; Aliakbari, Fatemeh

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Concept map is a useful cognitive tool for enhancing a student's critical thinking (CT) by encouraging students to process information deeply for understanding. However, the evidence regarding its effectiveness on nursing students’ CT is contradictory. This paper compares the effectiveness of concept mapping and traditional linear nursing care planning on students’ CT. Methods: An experimental design was used to examine the CT of 60 baccalaureate students who participated in pediatric clinical nursing course in the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran in 2013. Results: Participants were randomly divided into six equal groups of each 10 student, of which three groups were the control group, and the others were the experimental group. The control group completed nine traditional linear nursing care plans, whereas experimental group completed nine concept maps during the course. Both groups showed significant improvement in overall and all subscales of the California CT skill test from pretest to posttest (P < 0.001), but t-test demonstrated that improvement in students’ CT skills in the experimental group was significantly greater than in the control group after the program (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings support that concept mapping can be used as a clinical teaching-learning activity to promote CT in nursing students. PMID:28546978

  16. Why Do Children Engage in Sedentary Behavior? Child- and Parent-Perceived Determinants.

    PubMed

    Hidding, Lisan M; Altenburg, Teatske M; van Ekris, Evi; Chinapaw, Mai J M

    2017-06-22

    Todays children spend a large amount of their time sedentary. There is limited evidence on the determinants of sedentary behavior in children, and qualitative studies are especially lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to explore determinants of children's sedentary behavior from the child- and parent perspective. Qualitative data were collected during concept mapping sessions with four groups of 11-13 years old children ( n = 38) and two online sessions with parents ( n = 21). Children and parents generated sedentary behavior motives, sorted related motives, and rated their importance in influencing children's sedentary time. Next, multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to create clusters of motives resulting in a concept map. Finally, the researchers named the clusters in the concept map. Concept maps of children yielded eight to ten perceived determinants, and concept maps of parents six to seven. Children and parents identified six similar potential determinants, and both rated as important: Sitting because… "it is the norm (I have to)", and "I can work/play better that way". In addition, children rated "there is nobody to play with" as an important potential determinant for engaging in sedentary behavior. The most important child- and parent perceived determinants were related to the social/cultural and physical environment, indicating that these are promising targets for future interventions.

  17. Concept mapping as an approach for expert-guided model building: The example of health literacy.

    PubMed

    Soellner, Renate; Lenartz, Norbert; Rudinger, Georg

    2017-02-01

    Concept mapping served as the starting point for the aim of capturing the comprehensive structure of the construct of 'health literacy.' Ideas about health literacy were generated by 99 experts and resulted in 105 statements that were subsequently organized by 27 experts in an unstructured card sorting. Multidimensional scaling was applied to the sorting data and a two and three-dimensional solution was computed. The three dimensional solution was used in subsequent cluster analysis and resulted in a concept map of nine "clusters": (1) self-regulation, (2) self-perception, (3) proactive approach to health, (4) basic literacy and numeracy skills, (5) information appraisal, (6) information search, (7) health care system knowledge and acting, (8) communication and cooperation, and (9) beneficial personality traits. Subsequently, this concept map served as a starting point for developing a "qualitative" structural model of health literacy and a questionnaire for the measurement of health literacy. On the basis of questionnaire data, a "quantitative" structural model was created by first applying exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and then cross-validating the model with confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Concept mapping proved to be a highly valuable tool for the process of model building up to translational research in the "real world". Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Comparison of Nigerian high school male athletes and nonathletes on self-concept.

    PubMed

    Salokun, S O

    1990-06-01

    Nigerian high school athletes (112 high and 90 low in performance) and 108 nonathletes were administered the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. Athletes scored significantly higher on all self-concept subscales except behavior, moral-ethical and family. Better athletes scored significantly higher on all aspects of self-concept: social, moral-ethical, family and behavior, as is consistent with findings from the USA and other countries.

  19. Physics faculty beliefs and values about the teaching and learning of problem solving. II. Procedures for measurement and analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henderson, Charles; Yerushalmi, Edit; Kuo, Vince H.; Heller, Kenneth; Heller, Patricia

    2007-12-01

    To identify and describe the basis upon which instructors make curricular and pedagogical decisions, we have developed an artifact-based interview and an analysis technique based on multilayered concept maps. The policy capturing technique used in the interview asks instructors to make judgments about concrete instructional artifacts similar to those they likely encounter in their teaching environment. The analysis procedure alternatively employs both an a priori systems view analysis and an emergent categorization to construct a multilayered concept map, which is a hierarchically arranged set of concept maps where child maps include more details than parent maps. Although our goal was to develop a model of physics faculty beliefs about the teaching and learning of problem solving in the context of an introductory calculus-based physics course, the techniques described here are applicable to a variety of situations in which instructors make decisions that influence teaching and learning.

  20. Automated mapping of clinical terms into SNOMED-CT. An application to codify procedures in pathology.

    PubMed

    Allones, J L; Martinez, D; Taboada, M

    2014-10-01

    Clinical terminologies are considered a key technology for capturing clinical data in a precise and standardized manner, which is critical to accurately exchange information among different applications, medical records and decision support systems. An important step to promote the real use of clinical terminologies, such as SNOMED-CT, is to facilitate the process of finding mappings between local terms of medical records and concepts of terminologies. In this paper, we propose a mapping tool to discover text-to-concept mappings in SNOMED-CT. Name-based techniques were combined with a query expansion system to generate alternative search terms, and with a strategy to analyze and take advantage of the semantic relationships of the SNOMED-CT concepts. The developed tool was evaluated and compared to the search services provided by two SNOMED-CT browsers. Our tool automatically mapped clinical terms from a Spanish glossary of procedures in pathology with 88.0% precision and 51.4% recall, providing a substantial improvement of recall (28% and 60%) over other publicly accessible mapping services. The improvements reached by the mapping tool are encouraging. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of accurately mapping clinical glossaries to SNOMED-CT concepts, by means a combination of structural, query expansion and named-based techniques. We have shown that SNOMED-CT is a great source of knowledge to infer synonyms for the medical domain. Results show that an automated query expansion system overcomes the challenge of vocabulary mismatch partially.

  1. Development of the object permanence concept in cleft lip and palate and noncleft lip and palate infants.

    PubMed

    Pecyna, P M; Feeney-Giacoma, M E; Neiman, G S

    1987-06-01

    Studies of language acquisition in cleft lip and palate infants have not investigated the development of specific cognitive concepts, such as object permanence, which may be related to early linguistic skills. This study obtained comparative data on the development of the object permanence concept in cleft lip and palate and noncleft lip and palate infants to determine whether there were significant differences in rate or sequence of development. Infants were tested for the object permanence concept from 12 through 18 months of age. Results revealed significant improvement in all infants' scores with age, indicating progressive development of the concept. Further, while scores were not significantly different between the cleft lip and palate groups, scores for these groups were significantly better than scores for noncleft lip and palate infants. Superior performance of the cleft lip and palate infants may have resulted from increased environmental stimulation provided by their parents. Implications for intervention and future research in this area are presented.

  2. Cognitions of Expert Supervisors in Academe: A Concept Mapping Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemer, Gülsah; Borders, L. DiAnne; Willse, John

    2014-01-01

    Eighteen expert supervisors reported their thoughts while preparing for, conducting, and evaluating their supervision sessions. Concept mapping (Kane & Trochim, [Kane, M., 2007]) yielded 195 cognitions classified into 25 cognitive categories organized into 5 supervision areas: conceptualization of supervision, supervisee assessment,…

  3. Integration of Ausubelian Learning Theory and Educational Computing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heinze-Fry, Jane A.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Examines possible benefits when Ausubelian learning approaches are integrated into computer-assisted instruction, presenting an example of this integration in a computer program dealing with introductory ecology concepts. The four program parts (tutorial, interactive concept mapping, simulations, and vee-mapping) are described. (JN)

  4. Development and Evaluation of a Low Fertility Ontology for Analyzing Social Data in Korea.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ji-Hyun; Park, Hyeoun-Ae; Song, Tae-Min

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop a low fertility ontology for collecting and analyzing social data. A low fertility ontology was developed according to Ontology Development 101 and formally represented using Protégé. The content coverage of the ontology was evaluated using 1,387 narratives posted by the public and 63 narratives posted by public servants. Six super-classes of the ontology were developed based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory with an individual in the center and environmental systems impacting their as surroundings. In total, 568 unique concepts were extracted from the narratives. Out of these concepts, 424(74.6%) concepts were lexically or semantically mapped, 67(11.8%) were either broadly or narrowly mapped to the ontology concepts. Remaining 77(13.6%) concepts were not mapped to any of the ontology concepts. This ontology can be used as a framework to understand low fertility problems using social data in Korea.

  5. Evaluation of the Clinical Data Dictionary (CiDD)

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Myung Kyung; Min, Yul Ha; Kim, Younglan; Min, Hyo Ki; Ham, Sung Woo

    2010-01-01

    Objectives The purpose of the study was to evaluate content coverage and data quality of the Clinical Data Dictionary (CiDD) developed by the Center for Interoperable EHR (CiEHR). Methods A total of 12,994 terms were collected from 98 clinical forms of a tertiary cancer center hospital with 500 beds. After data cleaning, 9,418 terms were mapped with the data items of the CiDD by the research team, and validated by 30 doctors and nurses at the research hospital. Results Mapping results were classified into five categories: lexically mapped; semantically mapped; mapped to either a broader term or a narrower term; mapped to more than one term and not mapped. In terms of coverage, out of 9,418 terms, 6,750 (71.7%) terms were mapped; 4,319 (45.9%) terms were lexically mapped; 2,431 (25.8%) were semantically mapped; 281 (3.0%) terms were mapped to a broader term; 43 (0.5%) were mapped to a narrower term; and 550 (5.8%) were mapped to more than one term. In terms of data quality, the CiDD has problems such as errors in concept namingand representation, redundancy in synonyms, inadequate synonyms, and ambiguity in meaning. Conclusions Although the CiDD has terms covering 72% of local clinical terms, the CiDD can be improved by cleaning up errors and redundancies, adding textual definitions or use cases of the concept, and arranging the concepts in a hierarchy. PMID:21818428

  6. Aggregating concept map data to investigate the knowledge of beginning CS students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mühling, Andreas

    2016-07-01

    Concept maps have a long history in educational settings as a tool for teaching, learning, and assessing. As an assessment tool, they are predominantly used to extract the structural configuration of learners' knowledge. This article presents an investigation of the knowledge structures of a large group of beginning CS students. The investigation is based on a method that collects, aggregates, and automatically analyzes the concept maps of a group of learners as a whole, to identify common structural configurations and differences in the learners' knowledge. It shows that those students who have attended CS education in their secondary school life have, on average, configured their knowledge about typical core CS/OOP concepts differently. Also, artifacts of their particular CS curriculum are visible in their externalized knowledge. The data structures and analysis methods necessary for working with concept landscapes have been implemented as a GNU R package that is freely available.

  7. Indicators to facilitate the early identification of patients with major depressive disorder in need of highly specialized care: A concept mapping study.

    PubMed

    van Krugten, F C W; Goorden, M; van Balkom, A J L M; Spijker, J; Brouwer, W B F; Hakkaart-van Roijen, L

    2018-04-01

    Early identification of the subgroup of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in need of highly specialized care could enhance personalized intervention. This, in turn, may reduce the number of treatment steps needed to achieve and sustain an adequate treatment response. The aim of this study was to identify patient-related indicators that could facilitate the early identification of the subgroup of patients with MDD in need of highly specialized care. Initial patient indicators were derived from a systematic review. Subsequently, a structured conceptualization methodology known as concept mapping was employed to complement the initial list of indicators by clinical expertise and develop a consensus-based conceptual framework. Subject-matter experts were invited to participate in the subsequent steps (brainstorming, sorting, and rating) of the concept mapping process. A final concept map solution was generated using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analyses. In total, 67 subject-matter experts participated in the concept mapping process. The final concept map revealed the following 10 major clusters of indicators: 1-depression severity, 2-onset and (treatment) course, 3-comorbid personality disorder, 4-comorbid substance use disorder, 5-other psychiatric comorbidity, 6-somatic comorbidity, 7-maladaptive coping, 8-childhood trauma, 9-social factors, and 10-psychosocial dysfunction. The study findings highlight the need for a comprehensive assessment of patient indicators in determining the need for highly specialized care, and suggest that the treatment allocation of patients with MDD to highly specialized mental healthcare settings should be guided by the assessment of clinical and nonclinical patient factors. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Linking the ACT ASPIRE Assessments to NWEA MAP Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  9. The Effect of Learner Constructed, Fill in the Map Concept Map Technique, and Summarizing Strategy on Iranian Pre-University Students' Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soleimani, Hassan; Nabizadeh, Fatemeh

    2012-01-01

    Concept maps (CM) are powerful tools which have different uses in educational contexts; however, this study limited its extension and explored its impact on the reading comprehension skill of Iranian EFL students. To this purpose, a proficiency test was employed and 90 intermediate pre-university students were chosen and divided into three groups:…

  10. Does the mind map learning strategy facilitate information retrieval and critical thinking in medical students?

    PubMed

    D'Antoni, Anthony V; Zipp, Genevieve Pinto; Olson, Valerie G; Cahill, Terrence F

    2010-09-16

    A learning strategy underutilized in medical education is mind mapping. Mind maps are multi-sensory tools that may help medical students organize, integrate, and retain information. Recent work suggests that using mind mapping as a note-taking strategy facilitates critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and critical thinking, as measured by the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT), and whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and recall of domain-based information. In this quasi-experimental study, 131 first-year medical students were randomly assigned to a standard note-taking (SNT) group or mind map (MM) group during orientation. Subjects were given a demographic survey and pre-HSRT. They were then given an unfamiliar text passage, a pre-quiz based upon the passage, and a 30-minute break, during which time subjects in the MM group were given a presentation on mind mapping. After the break, subjects were given the same passage and wrote notes based on their group (SNT or MM) assignment. A post-quiz based upon the passage was administered, followed by a post-HSRT. Differences in mean pre- and post-quiz scores between groups were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, whereas differences in mean pre- and post-HSRT total scores and subscores between groups were analyzed using ANOVA. Mind map depth was assessed using the Mind Map Assessment Rubric (MMAR). There were no significant differences in mean scores on both the pre- and post-quizzes between note-taking groups. And, no significant differences were found between pre- and post-HSRT mean total scores and subscores. Although mind mapping was not found to increase short-term recall of domain-based information or critical thinking compared to SNT, a brief introduction to mind mapping allowed novice MM subjects to perform similarly to SNT subjects. This demonstrates that medical students using mind maps can successfully retrieve information in the short term, and does not put them at a disadvantage compared to SNT students. Future studies should explore longitudinal effects of mind-map proficiency training on both short- and long-term information retrieval and critical thinking.

  11. Combining Semantic and Lexical Methods for Mapping MedDRA to VCM Icons.

    PubMed

    Lamy, Jean-Baptiste; Tsopra, Rosy

    2018-01-01

    VCM (Visualization of Concept in Medicine) is an iconic language that represents medical concepts, such as disorders, by icons. VCM has a formal semantics described by an ontology. The icons can be used in medical software for providing a visual summary or enriching texts. However, the use of VCM icons in user interfaces requires to map standard medical terminologies to VCM. Here, we present a method combining semantic and lexical approaches for mapping MedDRA to VCM. The method takes advantage of the hierarchical relations in MedDRA. It also analyzes the groups of lemmas in the term's labels, and relies on a manual mapping of these groups to the concepts in the VCM ontology. We evaluate the method on 50 terms. Finally, we discuss the method and suggest perspectives.

  12. Integrating Reading and the English-Language Arts in the Geography Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushdoony, Haig A.

    Suggested activities for integrating language concepts and comprehension skills into elementary school geography instruction are presented. The activities focus on concept formation through semantic mapping and making analogies, and on comprehension through recalling, generalizing, interpreting, and making inferences. Semantic maps indicate spoke…

  13. Sexual Self-concept and Its Relationship to Depression, Stress and Anxiety in Postmenopausal Women.

    PubMed

    Heidari, Mohammad; Ghodusi, Mansureh; Rafiei, Hossein

    2017-04-01

    Women in menopause have the more mood swings than before menopause. At the same time seem to sexual self-concept and sexual aspects of self-knowledge has a great impact on their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the sexual self-concept and its relationship to depression, stress and anxiety in postmenopausal women's. In this descriptive correlation research, 300 of postmenopausal women referred to healthcare and medical treatment centers in Abadeh city were selected by convenience sampling method. The information in this study was collected by using questionnaires of multidimensional sexual self-concept and depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21). For data analysis, SPSS/17 software was used. The results showed the mean score positive sexual self-concept was 41.03 ± 8.66 and the average score of negative sexual self in women's was 110.32 ± 43.05. As well as scores of depression, stress, and anxiety, 35.67%, 32.33% and 37.67% respectively were in severe level. Positive and negative sexual self-concept scores with scores of stress, anxiety, and depression, of post-menopausal women in the confidence of 0.01, is significantly correlated ( P < 0.05). Being stress, anxiety, and depression in severe level and also a significant correlation between increased stress, anxiety and depression with negative and weak self-concept of women's, it is necessary to devote more careful attention to mental health issues of women's and have appropriate interventions.

  14. Sexual Self-concept and Its Relationship to Depression, Stress and Anxiety in Postmenopausal Women

    PubMed Central

    Heidari, Mohammad; Rafiei, Hossein

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Women in menopause have the more mood swings than before menopause. At the same time seem to sexual self-concept and sexual aspects of self-knowledge has a great impact on their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the sexual self-concept and its relationship to depression, stress and anxiety in postmenopausal women's. Methods In this descriptive correlation research, 300 of postmenopausal women referred to healthcare and medical treatment centers in Abadeh city were selected by convenience sampling method. The information in this study was collected by using questionnaires of multidimensional sexual self-concept and depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21). For data analysis, SPSS/17 software was used. Results The results showed the mean score positive sexual self-concept was 41.03 ± 8.66 and the average score of negative sexual self in women's was 110.32 ± 43.05. As well as scores of depression, stress, and anxiety, 35.67%, 32.33% and 37.67% respectively were in severe level. Positive and negative sexual self-concept scores with scores of stress, anxiety, and depression, of post-menopausal women in the confidence of 0.01, is significantly correlated (P < 0.05). Conclusions Being stress, anxiety, and depression in severe level and also a significant correlation between increased stress, anxiety and depression with negative and weak self-concept of women's, it is necessary to devote more careful attention to mental health issues of women's and have appropriate interventions. PMID:28523258

  15. Psychosocial experiences associated with confirmed and self-identified dyslexia: a participant-driven concept map of adult perspectives.

    PubMed

    Nalavany, Blace Arthur; Carawan, Lena Williams; Rennick, Robyn A

    2011-01-01

    Concept mapping (a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology) was used to describe and understand the psychosocial experiences of adults with confirmed and self-identified dyslexia. Using innovative processes of art and photography, Phase 1 of the study included 15 adults who participated in focus groups and in-depth interviews and were asked to elucidate their experiences with dyslexia. On index cards, 75 statements and experiences with dyslexia were recorded. The second phase of the study included 39 participants who sorted these statements into self-defined categories and rated each statement to reflect their personal experiences to produce a visual representation, or concept map, of their experience. The final concept map generated nine distinct cluster themes: Organization Skills for Success; Finding Success; A Good Support System Makes the Difference; On Being Overwhelmed; Emotional Downside; Why Can't They See It?; Pain, Hurt, and Embarrassment From Past to Present; Fear of Disclosure; and Moving Forward. Implications of these findings are discussed.

  16. The use of concept mapping for scale development and validation in evaluation.

    PubMed

    Rosas, Scott R; Camphausen, Lauren C

    2007-05-01

    Evaluators often make key decisions about what content to include when designing new scales. However, without clear conceptual grounding, there is a risk these decisions may compromise the scale's validity. Techniques such as concept mapping are available to evaluators for the specification of conceptual frameworks, but have not been used as a fully integrated part of scale development. As part of a multi-site evaluation of family support programs, we integrated concept mapping with traditional scale-development processes to strengthen the creation of a scale for inclusion in an evaluation instrument. Using concept mapping, we engaged staff and managers in the development of a framework of intended benefits of program participation and used the information to systematically select the scale's content. The psychometric characteristics of the scale were then formally assessed using a sample of program participants. The implications of the approach for supporting construct validity, inclusion of staff and managers, and theory-driven evaluation are discussed.

  17. Novice to Expert Cognition During Geologic Bedrock Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petcovic, H. L.; Libarkin, J.; Hambrick, D. Z.; Baker, K. M.; Elkins, J. T.; Callahan, C. N.; Turner, S.; Rench, T. A.; LaDue, N.

    2011-12-01

    Bedrock geologic mapping is a complex and cognitively demanding task. Successful mapping requires domain-specific content knowledge, visuospatial ability, navigation through the field area, creating a mental model of the geology that is consistent with field data, and metacognition. Most post-secondary geology students in the United States receive training in geologic mapping, however, not much is known about the cognitive processes that underlie successful bedrock mapping, or about how these processes change with education and experience. To better understand cognition during geologic mapping, we conducted a 2-year research study in which 67 volunteers representing a range from undergraduate sophomore to 20+ years professional experience completed a suite of cognitive measures plus a 1-day bedrock mapping task in the Rocky Mountains, Montana, USA. In addition to participants' geologic maps and field notes, the cognitive suite included tests and questionnaires designed to measure: (1) prior geologic experience, via a self-report survey; (2) geologic content knowledge, via a modified version of the Geoscience Concept Inventory; (3) visuospatial ability, working memory capacity, and perceptual speed, via paper-and-pencil and computerized tests; (4) use of space and time during mapping via GPS tracking; and (5) problem-solving in the field via think-aloud audio logs during mapping and post-mapping semi-structured interviews. Data were examined for correlations between performance on the mapping task and other measures. We found that both geological knowledge and spatial visualization ability correlated positively with accuracy in the field mapping task. More importantly, we found a Visuospatial Ability × Geological Knowledge interaction, such that visuospatial ability positively predicted mapping performance at low, but not high, levels of geological knowledge. In other words, we found evidence to suggest that visuospatial ability mattered for bedrock mapping for the novices in our sample, but not for the experts. For experienced mappers, we found a significant correlation between GCI scores and the thoroughness with which they covered the map area, plus a relationship between speed and map accuracy such that faster mappers produced better maps. However, fast novice mappers tended to produce the worst maps. Successful mappers formed a mental model of the underlying geologic structure immediately to early in the mapping task, then spent field time collecting observations to confirm, disconfirm, or modify their initial model. In contrast, the least successful mappers (all inexperienced) rarely generated explanations or models of the underlying geologic structure in the field.

  18. A study of changes in middle school teachers' understanding of selected ideas in science as a function of an in-service program focusing on student preconceptions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shymansky, James A.; Woodworth, George; Norman, Obed; Dunkhase, John; Matthews, Charles; Liu, Chin-Tang

    This article examines the impact of a specially designed in-service model on teacher understanding of selected science concepts. The underlying idea of the model is to get teachers to restructure their own understanding of a selected science topic by having them study the structure and evolution of their students' ideas on the same topic. Concepts on topics from the life, earth, and physical sciences served as the content focus and middle school Grades 4-9 served as the context for this study. The in-service experience constituting the main treatment in the study occurred in three distinct phases. In the initial phase, participating teachers interviewed several of their own students to find out what kinds of preconceptions students had about a particular topic. The teachers used concept mapping strategies learned in the in-service to facilitate the interviews. Next the teachers teamed with other teachers with similar topic interests and a science expert to evaluate and explore the scientific merit of the student conceptual frameworks and to develop instructional units, including a summative assessment during a summer workshop. Finally, the student ideas were further evaluated and explored as the teachers taught the topics in their classrooms during the fall term. Concept maps were used to study changes in teacher understanding across the phases of the in-service in a repeated-measures design. Analysis of the maps showed significant growth in the number of valid propositions expressed by teachers between the initial and final mappings in all topic groups. But in half of the groups, this long-term growth was interrupted by a noticeable decline in the number of valid propositions expressed. In addition, analysis of individual teacher maps showed distinctive patterns of initial invalid conceptions being replaced by new invalid conceptions in later mappings. The combination of net growth of valid propositions and the patterns of evolving invalid conceptions is discussed in constructivist terms.

  19. Concept mapping One-Carbon Metabolism to model future ontologies for nutrient-gene-phenotype interactions.

    PubMed

    Joslin, A C; Green, R; German, J B; Lange, M C

    2014-09-01

    Advances in the development of bioinformatic tools continue to improve investigators' ability to interrogate, organize, and derive knowledge from large amounts of heterogeneous information. These tools often require advanced technical skills not possessed by life scientists. User-friendly, low-barrier-to-entry methods of visualizing nutrigenomics information are yet to be developed. We utilized concept mapping software from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition to create a conceptual model of diet and health-related data that provides a foundation for future nutrigenomics ontologies describing published nutrient-gene/polymorphism-phenotype data. In this model, maps containing phenotype, nutrient, gene product, and genetic polymorphism interactions are visualized as triples of two concepts linked together by a linking phrase. These triples, or "knowledge propositions," contextualize aggregated data and information into easy-to-read knowledge maps. Maps of these triples enable visualization of genes spanning the One-Carbon Metabolism (OCM) pathway, their sequence variants, and multiple literature-mined associations including concepts relevant to nutrition, phenotypes, and health. The concept map development process documents the incongruity of information derived from pathway databases versus literature resources. This conceptual model highlights the importance of incorporating information about genes in upstream pathways that provide substrates, as well as downstream pathways that utilize products of the pathway under investigation, in this case OCM. Other genes and their polymorphisms, such as TCN2 and FUT2, although not directly involved in OCM, potentially alter OCM pathway functionality. These upstream gene products regulate substrates such as B12. Constellations of polymorphisms affecting the functionality of genes along OCM, together with substrate and cofactor availability, may impact resultant phenotypes. These conceptual maps provide a foundational framework for development of nutrient-gene/polymorphism-phenotype ontologies and systems visualization.

  20. Structural fire risk of Portugal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parente, Joana; Pereira, Mário

    2017-04-01

    Portugal is on the top of the European countries most affected by vegetation fires which underlines the importance of the existence of an updated and coherent fire risk map. This map represent a valuable supporting tool for forest and fire management decisions, focus prevention activities, improve the efficiency of fire detection systems, manage resources and actions of fire fighting with greater effectiveness. Therefore this study proposed a structural fire risk map of the vegetated area of Portugal using a deterministic approach based on the concept of fire risk currently accepted by the scientific community which consists in the combination of the fire hazard and the potential economic damage. The existing fire susceptibility map for Portugal based on the slope, land cover and fire probability, was adopted and updated by the use of a higher resolution digital terrain model, longer burnt area perimeter dataset (1975 - 2013) and the entire set of Corine land cover inventories. Five susceptibility classes were mapped to be in accordance with the Portuguese law and the results confirms the good performance of this model not only in terms of the favourability scores but also in the predictive values. Considering three different scenarios of (maximum, mean, and minimum annual) burnt area, fire hazard were estimate. The vulnerability scores and monetary values of species defined in the literature and by law were used to calculate the potential economic damage. The result was a fire risk map that identifies the areas more prone to be affected by fires in the future and provides an estimate of the economic damage of the fire which will be a valuable tool for forest and fire managers and to minimize the economic and environmental consequences of vegetation fires in Portugal. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by: (i) the project Interact - Integrative Research in Environment,Agro-Chain and Technology, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000017, research line BEST, cofinanced by FEDER/NORTE 2020; (ii) the FIREXTR project, PTDC/ATP¬GEO/0462/2014; and, (iii) European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI-Operacional Competitiveness and Internacionalization Programme, under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958 and National Funds by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/AGR/04033. We are especially grateful to ICNF and ISA for providing the fire data.

  1. Decreased Self-Concept Clarity in People with Schizophrenia

    PubMed Central

    Cicero, David C.; Martin, Elizabeth A; Becker, Theresa M.; Kerns, John G.

    2015-01-01

    Disturbances in the perception of self are thought to be central to the development of psychosis. Self-concept clarity (SCC) is the extent to which one’s beliefs about oneself are internally consistent, stable, and clear. Participants with schizophrenia (N = 54) and healthy controls (N = 32) completed the Me Not-Me Decision Task (MNMDT), in which they decided whether 60 adjectives (30 pairs of antonyms), did or did not describe themselves. SCC is conceptualized as the number of consistent responses. Participants also completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS). Compared to healthy controls, participants with schizophrenia scored lower on the MNMDT and SCCS, and scores were negatively correlated with positive and negative symptoms. In a simultaneous regression, SCCS scores were uniquely associated with positive symptoms, while MNMDT scores were uniquely associated with negative symptoms. This suggests that people with schizophrenia have decreased self-concept claritythat is related to positive and negative symptoms. PMID:26669980

  2. The Multimedia Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale 2: Its Psychometric Properties, Equivalence with the Paper-and-Pencil Version, and Respondent Preferences.

    PubMed

    Flahive, Mon-hsin Wang; Chuang, Ying-Chih; Li, Chien-Mo

    2015-01-01

    A multimedia version of Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale 2 (Piers-Harris 2) was created with audio and cartoon animation to facilitate the measurement of self-concept among younger children. This study aimed to assess the psychometric qualities of the computer version of Piers-Harris 2 scores, examine its score equivalence with the paper-and-pencil version, and survey the respondent preference of the two versions. Two hundred and forty eight Taiwanese students from the first to fourth grade were recruited. In regard to the psychometric properties, high internal consistency (α = .91) was found for the total score of multimedia Piers-Harris 2. High interscale correlations (.77 to .83) of the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 scores and the results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 contained good structural characteristics. The scores of the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 also had significant correlations with the scores of the Elementary School Children's Self Concept Scale. The equality of convergence and criterion-related validities of Piers-Harris 2 scores for the multimedia and paper-and-pencil versions and the results of ICCs between the scores of the multimedia and paper-and-pencil Piers-Harris 2 suggested their high level of equivalence. Participants showed more positive attitudes towards the multimedia version.

  3. The Multimedia Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale 2: Its Psychometric Properties, Equivalence with the Paper-and-Pencil Version, and Respondent Preferences

    PubMed Central

    Flahive, Mon-hsin Wang; Chuang, Ying-Chih; Li, Chien-Mo

    2015-01-01

    A multimedia version of Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale 2 (Piers-Harris 2) was created with audio and cartoon animation to facilitate the measurement of self-concept among younger children. This study aimed to assess the psychometric qualities of the computer version of Piers-Harris 2 scores, examine its score equivalence with the paper-and-pencil version, and survey the respondent preference of the two versions. Two hundred and forty eight Taiwanese students from the first to fourth grade were recruited. In regard to the psychometric properties, high internal consistency (α = .91) was found for the total score of multimedia Piers-Harris 2. High interscale correlations (.77 to .83) of the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 scores and the results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 contained good structural characteristics. The scores of the multimedia Piers-Harris 2 also had significant correlations with the scores of the Elementary School Children’s Self Concept Scale. The equality of convergence and criterion-related validities of Piers-Harris 2 scores for the multimedia and paper-and-pencil versions and the results of ICCs between the scores of the multimedia and paper-and-pencil Piers-Harris 2 suggested their high level of equivalence. Participants showed more positive attitudes towards the multimedia version. PMID:26252499

  4. Relational, Structural, and Semantic Analysis of Graphical Representations and Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ifenthaler, Dirk

    2010-01-01

    The demand for good instructional environments presupposes valid and reliable analytical instruments for educational research. This paper introduces the "SMD Technology" (Surface, Matching, Deep Structure), which measures relational, structural, and semantic levels of graphical representations and concept maps. The reliability and validity of the…

  5. Mapping Joint Action.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slawski, Carl

    The flow diagrams in this document provide cognitive maps to aid in synthesizing diverse areas of knowledge in a special brand of field theory. A model is presented which highlights the domains of structural functionalism (with concepts of cultural, personal and societal systems) and symbolic interactionism (with the concepts of self, sentiments…

  6. The use of concept maps for knowledge management: from classrooms to research labs.

    PubMed

    Correia, Paulo Rogério Miranda

    2012-02-01

    Our contemporary society asks for new strategies to manage knowledge. The main activities developed by academics involve knowledge transmission (teaching) and production (research). Creativity and collaboration are valuable assets for establishing learning organizations in classrooms and research labs. Concept mapping is a useful graphical technique to foster some of the disciplines required to create and develop high-performance teams. The need for a linking phrase to clearly state conceptual relationships makes concept maps (Cmaps) very useful for organizing our own ideas (externalization), as well as, sharing them with other people (elicitation and consensus building). The collaborative knowledge construction (CKC) is supported by Cmaps because they improve the communication signal-to-noise ratio among participants with high information asymmetry. In other words, we can identify knowledge gaps and insightful ideas in our own Cmaps when discussing them with our counterparts. Collaboration involving low and high information asymmetry can also be explored through peer review and student-professor/advisor interactions, respectively. In conclusion, when it is used properly, concept mapping can provide a competitive advantage to produce and share knowledge in our contemporary society. To map is to know, as stated by Wandersee in 1990.

  7. Reliability and Validity of Self-Concept Scores in Secondary School Students in Trinidad and Tobago

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worrell, Frank C.; Watkins, Marley W.; Hall, Tracey E.

    2008-01-01

    In this study we examined the reliability and validity of global, mathematics and English self-concept scores from the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II, Marsh, 1990b) in a random sample of 870 secondary school students in Trinidad and Tobago. The results provided strong evidence for the structural validity of the scores and yielded…

  8. Using a Concept-Grounded, Curriculum-Based Measure in Mathematics To Predict Statewide Test Scores for Middle School Students with LD.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helwig, Robert; Anderson, Lisbeth; Tindal, Gerald

    2002-01-01

    An 11-item math concept curriculum-based measure (CBM) was administered to 171 eighth grade students. Scores were correlated with scores from a computer adaptive test designed in conjunction with the state to approximate the official statewide mathematics achievement tests. Correlations for general education students and students with learning…

  9. Redesign of Transjakarta Bus Driver's Cabin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mardi Safitri, Dian; Azmi, Nora; Singh, Gurbinder; Astuti, Pudji

    2016-02-01

    Ergonomic risk at work stations with type Seated Work Control was one of the problems faced by Transjakarta bus driver. Currently “Trisakti” type bus, one type of bus that is used by Transjakarta in corridor 9, serving route Pinang Ranti - Pluit, gained many complaints from drivers. From the results of Nordic Body Map questionnaires given to 30 drivers, it was known that drivers feel pain in the neck, arms, hips, and buttocks. Allegedly this was due to the seat position and the button/panel bus has a considerable distance range (1 meter) to be achieved by drivers. In addition, preliminary results of the questionnaire using Workstation Checklist identified their complaints about uncomfortable cushion, driver's seat backrest, and the exact position of the AC is above the driver head. To reduce the risk level of ergonomics, then did research to design the cabin by using a generic approach to designing products. The risk analysis driver posture before the design was done by using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC), while the calculation of the moment the body is done by using software Mannequin Pro V10.2. Furthermore, the design of generic products was done through the stages: need metric-matrix, house of quality, anthropometric data collection, classification tree concept, concept screening, scoring concept, design and manufacture of products in the form of two-dimensional. While the design after design risk analysis driver posture was done by using RULA, REBA, and calculation of moments body as well as the design visualized using software 3DMax. From the results of analysis before the draft design improvements cabin RULA obtained scores of 6, REBA 9, and the result amounted to 57.38% QEC and moment forces on the back is 247.3 LbF.inch and on the right hip is 72.9 LbF.in. While the results of the proposed improvements cabin design RULA obtained scores of 3, REBA 4, and the moment of force on the back is 90.3 LbF.in and on the right hip is 70.6 LbF.in. This indicated improvement cabin design can reduce ergonomic risk with lower scores on several parts of the body.

  10. Why Do Children Engage in Sedentary Behavior? Child- and Parent-Perceived Determinants

    PubMed Central

    Hidding, Lisan M.; Altenburg, Teatske M.; van Ekris, Evi; Chinapaw, Mai J. M.

    2017-01-01

    Todays children spend a large amount of their time sedentary. There is limited evidence on the determinants of sedentary behavior in children, and qualitative studies are especially lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to explore determinants of children’s sedentary behavior from the child- and parent perspective. Qualitative data were collected during concept mapping sessions with four groups of 11–13 years old children (n = 38) and two online sessions with parents (n = 21). Children and parents generated sedentary behavior motives, sorted related motives, and rated their importance in influencing children’s sedentary time. Next, multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to create clusters of motives resulting in a concept map. Finally, the researchers named the clusters in the concept map. Concept maps of children yielded eight to ten perceived determinants, and concept maps of parents six to seven. Children and parents identified six similar potential determinants, and both rated as important: Sitting because… “it is the norm (I have to)”, and “I can work/play better that way”. In addition, children rated “there is nobody to play with” as an important potential determinant for engaging in sedentary behavior. The most important child- and parent perceived determinants were related to the social/cultural and physical environment, indicating that these are promising targets for future interventions. PMID:28640232

  11. Use of concurrent mixed methods combining concept mapping and focus groups to adapt a health equity tool in Canada.

    PubMed

    Guichard, Anne; Tardieu, Émilie; Dagenais, Christian; Nour, Kareen; Lafontaine, Ginette; Ridde, Valéry

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this project was to identify and prioritize a set of conditions to be considered for incorporating a health equity tool into public health practice. Concept mapping and focus groups were implemented as complementary methods to investigate the conditions of use of a health equity tool by public health organizations in Quebec. Using a hybrid integrated research design is a richer way to address the complexity of questions emerging from intervention and planning settings. This approach provides a deeper, operational, and contextualized understanding of research results involving different professional and organizational cultures, and thereby supports the decision-making process. Concept mapping served to identify and prioritize in a limited timeframe the conditions to be considered for incorporation into a health equity tool into public health practices. Focus groups then provided a more refined understanding of the barriers, issues, and facilitating factors surrounding the tools adoption, helped distinguish among participants' perspectives based on functional roles and organizational contexts, and clarified some apparently contradictory results from the concept map. The combined use of these two techniques brought the strengths of each approach to bear, thereby overcoming some of the respective limitations of concept mapping and focus groups. This design is appropriate for investigating targets with multiple levels of complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Enhancing Collaborative and Meaningful Language Learning through Concept Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Cássia Veiga Marriott, Rita; Torres, Patrícia Lupion

    This chapter aims to investigate new ways of foreign-language teaching/learning via a study of how concept mapping can help develop a student's reading, writing and oral skills as part of a blended methodology for language teaching known as LAPLI (Laboratorio de Aprendizagem de LInguas: The Language Learning Lab). LAPLI is a student-centred and collaborative methodology which encourages students to challenge their limitations and expand their current knowledge whilst developing their linguistic and interpersonal skills. We explore the theories that underpin LAPLI and detail the 12 activities comprising its programme with specify reference to the use of “concept mapping”. An innovative table enabling a formative and summative assessment of the concept maps is formulated. Also presented are some of the qualitative and quantitative results achieved when this methodology was first implemented with a group of pre-service students studying for a degree in English and Portuguese languages at the Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in Brazil. The contribution of concept mapping and LAPLI to an understanding of language learning along with a consideration of the difficulties encountered in its implementation with student groups is discussed and suggestions made for future research.

  13. Linking the Kentucky K-PREP Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  14. Linking the Kansas KAP Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  15. Linking the PARCC Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests for Illinois

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  16. Linking the Texas STAAR Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  17. Linking the Nebraska NeSA Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  18. Linking the Alaska AMP Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  19. Linking the PARCC Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests for New Mexico

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  20. Linking the Arizona AZMERIT Assessments to NWEA MAP Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Northwest Evaluation Association, 2016

    2016-01-01

    Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. One important tool is the concordance table between MAP and state summative assessments. Concordance tables have been used for decades to relate scores on…

  1. Timed activity performance in persons with upper limb amputation: A preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Resnik, Linda; Borgia, Mathew; Acluche, Frantzy

    55 subjects with upper limb amputation were administered the T-MAP twice within one week. To develop a timed measure of activity performance for persons with upper limb amputation (T-MAP); examine the measure's internal consistency, test-retest reliability and validity; and compare scores by prosthesis use. Measures of activity performance for persons with upper limb amputation are needed The time required to perform daily activities is a meaningful metric that implication for participation in life roles. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Construct validity was examined by comparing scores by amputation level. Exploratory analyses compared sub-group scores, and examined correlations with other measures. Scale alpha was 0.77, ICC was 0.93. Timed scores differed by amputation level. Subjects using a prosthesis took longer to perform all tasks. T-MAP was not correlated with other measures of dexterity or activity, but was correlated with pain for non-prosthesis users. The timed scale had adequate internal consistency and excellent test-retest reliability. Analyses support reliability and construct validity of the T-MAP. 2c "outcomes" research. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Mixture-Tuned, Clutter Matched Filter for Remote Detection of Subpixel Spectral Signals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, David R.; Mandrake, Lukas; Green, Robert O.

    2013-01-01

    Mapping localized spectral features in large images demands sensitive and robust detection algorithms. Two aspects of large images that can harm matched-filter detection performance are addressed simultaneously. First, multimodal backgrounds may thwart the typical Gaussian model. Second, outlier features can trigger false detections from large projections onto the target vector. Two state-of-the-art approaches are combined that independently address outlier false positives and multimodal backgrounds. The background clustering models multimodal backgrounds, and the mixture tuned matched filter (MT-MF) addresses outliers. Combining the two methods captures significant additional performance benefits. The resulting mixture tuned clutter matched filter (MT-CMF) shows effective performance on simulated and airborne datasets. The classical MNF transform was applied, followed by k-means clustering. Then, each cluster s mean, covariance, and the corresponding eigenvalues were estimated. This yields a cluster-specific matched filter estimate as well as a cluster- specific feasibility score to flag outlier false positives. The technology described is a proof of concept that may be employed in future target detection and mapping applications for remote imaging spectrometers. It is of most direct relevance to JPL proposals for airborne and orbital hyperspectral instruments. Applications include subpixel target detection in hyperspectral scenes for military surveillance. Earth science applications include mineralogical mapping, species discrimination for ecosystem health monitoring, and land use classification.

  3. Professional development strategies for teaching urban biology teachers to use concept maps effectively

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGregor Petgrave, Dahlia M.

    Many teachers are not adequately prepared to help urban students who have trouble understanding conceptual ideas in biology because these students have little connection to the natural world. This study explored potential professional development strategies to help urban biology teachers use concept maps effectively with various topics in the biology curriculum. A grounded theory approach was used to develop a substantive professional development model for urban biology teachers. Qualitative data were collected through 16 semi-structured interviews of professional developers experienced in working with concept maps in the urban context. An anonymous online survey was used to collect quantitative data from 56 professional developers and teachers to support the qualitative data. The participants were from New York City, recruited through the NY Biology-Chemistry Professional Development Mentor Network and the NY Biology Teachers' Association. According to the participants, map construction, classroom applications, lesson planning, action research, follow-up workshops, and the creation of learning communities are the most effective professional development strategies. The interviewees also proposed English language learning strategies such as picture maps, native word maps, and content reading materials with underlined words. This study contributes to social change by providing a professional development model to use in planning workshops for urban teachers. Urban teachers improve their own conceptual understanding of biology while learning how to implement concept mapping strategies in the classroom. Students whose teachers are better prepared to teach biology in a conceptual manner have the potential of growing into more scientifically literate citizens.

  4. Effectiveness of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) based i-Think map concept towards primary students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ping, Owi Wei; Ahmad, Azhar; Adnan, Mazlini; Hua, Ang Kean

    2017-05-01

    Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is a new concept of education reform based on the Taxonomies Bloom. The concept concentrate on student understanding in learning process based on their own methods. Through the HOTS questions are able to train students to think creatively, critic and innovative. The aim of this study was to identify the student's proficiency in solving HOTS Mathematics question by using i-Think map. This research takes place in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. The method applied is quantitative approach that involves approximately all of the standard five students. Pra-posttest was conduct before and after the intervention using i-Think map in solving the HOTS questions. The result indicates significant improvement for post-test, which prove that applying i-Think map enhance the students ability to solve HOTS question. Survey's analysis showed 90% of the students agree having i-Thinking map in analysis the question carefully and using keywords in the map to solve the questions. As conclusion, this process benefits students to minimize in making the mistake when solving the questions. Therefore, teachers are necessarily to guide students in applying the eligible i-Think map and methods in analyzing the question through finding the keywords.

  5. Validating Domain Ontologies: A Methodology Exemplified for Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steiner, Christina M.; Albert, Dietrich

    2017-01-01

    Ontologies play an important role as knowledge domain representations in technology-enhanced learning and instruction. Represented in form of concept maps they are commonly used as teaching and learning material and have the potential to enhance positive educational outcomes. To ensure the effective use of an ontology representing a knowledge…

  6. Concept Maps as Cognitive Visualizations of Writing Assignments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Villalon, Jorge; Calvo, Rafael A.

    2011-01-01

    Writing assignments are ubiquitous in higher education. Writing develops not only communication skills, but also higher-level cognitive processes that facilitate deep learning. Cognitive visualizations, such as concept maps, can also be used as part of learning activities including as a form of scaffolding, or to trigger reflection by making…

  7. Concept Map as an Assessment Tool in Secondary School Mathematics: An Analysis of Teachers' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mutodi, Paul; Chigonga, Benard

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on teachers' views on concept mapping: its applicability; reliability; advantages and; difficulties. A close-ended questionnaire was administered to 50 purposefully selected secondary school mathematics teachers from Sekhukhune District, Limpopo, South Africa. The findings indicate that mathematics teachers generally perceive…

  8. Expert Concept Mapping Study on Mobile Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borner, Dirk; Glahn, Christian; Stoyanov, Slavi; Kalz, Marco; Specht, Marcus

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The present paper introduces concept mapping as a structured participative conceptualization approach to identify clusters of ideas and opinions generated by experts within the domain of mobile learning. Utilizing this approach, the paper aims to contribute to a definition of key domain characteristics by identifying the main educational…

  9. Assessing System Thinking through Different Concept-Mapping Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brandstadter, Kristina; Harms, Ute; Grossschedl, Jorg

    2012-01-01

    System thinking is usually investigated by using questionnaires, video analysis, or interviews. Recently, concept-mapping (CM) was suggested as an adequate instrument for analysing students' system thinking. However, there are different ways with which to use this method. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether particular…

  10. Dynamic Assessment of EFL Learners' Listening Comprehension via Computerized Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebadi, Saman; Latif, Shokoufeh Vakili

    2015-01-01

    In Vygotsky's theory, learner's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and autonomous performance could be further developed through social interaction with an expert. Computerized concept mapping enjoys the advantage of meeting learners' differences and therefore can be applied as a scaffold to support learning process.Taking a dynamic assessment…

  11. Decoding fMRI events in sensorimotor motor network using sparse paradigm free mapping and activation likelihood estimates.

    PubMed

    Tan, Francisca M; Caballero-Gaudes, César; Mullinger, Karen J; Cho, Siu-Yeung; Zhang, Yaping; Dryden, Ian L; Francis, Susan T; Gowland, Penny A

    2017-11-01

    Most functional MRI (fMRI) studies map task-driven brain activity using a block or event-related paradigm. Sparse paradigm free mapping (SPFM) can detect the onset and spatial distribution of BOLD events in the brain without prior timing information, but relating the detected events to brain function remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a decoding method for SPFM using a coordinate-based meta-analysis method of activation likelihood estimation (ALE). We defined meta-maps of statistically significant ALE values that correspond to types of events and calculated a summation overlap between the normalized meta-maps and SPFM maps. As a proof of concept, this framework was applied to relate SPFM-detected events in the sensorimotor network (SMN) to six motor functions (left/right fingers, left/right toes, swallowing, and eye blinks). We validated the framework using simultaneous electromyography (EMG)-fMRI experiments and motor tasks with short and long duration, and random interstimulus interval. The decoding scores were considerably lower for eye movements relative to other movement types tested. The average successful rate for short and long motor events were 77 ± 13% and 74 ± 16%, respectively, excluding eye movements. We found good agreement between the decoding results and EMG for most events and subjects, with a range in sensitivity between 55% and 100%, excluding eye movements. The proposed method was then used to classify the movement types of spontaneous single-trial events in the SMN during resting state, which produced an average successful rate of 22 ± 12%. Finally, this article discusses methodological implications and improvements to increase the decoding performance. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5778-5794, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Decoding fMRI events in Sensorimotor Motor Network using Sparse Paradigm Free Mapping and Activation Likelihood Estimates

    PubMed Central

    Tan, Francisca M.; Caballero-Gaudes, César; Mullinger, Karen J.; Cho, Siu-Yeung; Zhang, Yaping; Dryden, Ian L.; Francis, Susan T.; Gowland, Penny A.

    2017-01-01

    Most fMRI studies map task-driven brain activity using a block or event-related paradigm. Sparse Paradigm Free Mapping (SPFM) can detect the onset and spatial distribution of BOLD events in the brain without prior timing information; but relating the detected events to brain function remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a decoding method for SPFM using a coordinate-based meta-analysis method of Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE). We defined meta-maps of statistically significant ALE values that correspond to types of events and calculated a summation overlap between the normalized meta-maps and SPFM maps. As a proof of concept, this framework was applied to relate SPFM-detected events in the Sensorimotor Network (SMN) to six motor function (left/right fingers, left/right toes, swallowing and eye blinks). We validated the framework using simultaneous Electromyography-fMRI experiments and motor tasks with short and long duration, and random inter-stimulus interval. The decoding scores were considerably lower for eye movements relative to other movement types tested. The average successful rate for short and long motor events was 77 ± 13% and 74 ± 16% respectively, excluding eye movements. We found good agreement between the decoding results and EMG for most events and subjects, with a range in sensitivity between 55 and 100%, excluding eye movements. The proposed method was then used to classify the movement types of spontaneous single-trial events in the SMN during resting state, which produced an average successful rate of 22 ± 12%. Finally, this paper discusses methodological implications and improvements to increase the decoding performance. PMID:28815863

  13. A Multivariate Methodological Workflow for the Analysis of FTIR Chemical Mapping Applied on Historic Paint Stratigraphies

    PubMed Central

    Sciutto, Giorgia; Oliveri, Paolo; Catelli, Emilio; Bonacini, Irene

    2017-01-01

    In the field of applied researches in heritage science, the use of multivariate approach is still quite limited and often chemometric results obtained are often underinterpreted. Within this scenario, the present paper is aimed at disseminating the use of suitable multivariate methodologies and proposes a procedural workflow applied on a representative group of case studies, of considerable importance for conservation purposes, as a sort of guideline on the processing and on the interpretation of this FTIR data. Initially, principal component analysis (PCA) is performed and the score values are converted into chemical maps. Successively, the brushing approach is applied, demonstrating its usefulness for a deep understanding of the relationships between the multivariate map and PC score space, as well as for the identification of the spectral bands mainly involved in the definition of each area localised within the score maps. PMID:29333162

  14. Drug preferences in illicit drug abusers with a childhood tendency of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a study using the Wender Utah Rating Scale in a Japanese prison.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Toshihiko; Yamaguchi, Akiko; Asami, Takeshi; Kamijo, Atsushi; Iseki, Eizo; Hirayasu, Yoshio; Wada, Kiyoshi

    2005-06-01

    The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between childhood tendencies of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and illicit drug abuse in Japanese prisoners, and to clarify whether drug abusers with AD/HD prefer methamphetamine (MAP) more than other illicit drugs. The Japanese version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), which is a self-reporting instrument to retrospectively identify childhood tendencies of AD/HD tendencies, was carried given to 413 prisoners without a drug addiction and 282 prisoners with a drug addiction (192, MAP; 53, toluene; and 37, cannabis). WURS scores were compared between prisoners with and without a drug addiction, and between MAP, toluene, and cannabis abusers. Consequently, prisoners with a drug addiction showed significantly higher WURS scores than those without the addiction (P < 0.001). Toluene abusers showed significantly higher WURS scores than cannabis abusers (P < 0.001), and included a higher proportion with scores over cut-off than MAP or cannabis abusers (P = 0.005). In conclusion, a close relationship existed between illicit drug abuse and childhood AD/HD tendencies. Drug-abusing prisoners with AD/HD tendencies were not prone to choose MAP over other illicit drugs.

  15. Investigating the influence of achievement on self-concept using an intra-class design and a comparison of the PASS and SDQ-1 self-concept tests.

    PubMed

    Hay, I; Ashman, A; van Kraayenoord, C E

    1997-09-01

    The formation and measurement of self-concept were the foci of this research. The study aimed to investigate the influence of achievement on academic self-concept and to compare the Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS, Boersma & Chapman, 1992) with the Self-Description Questionnaire-1 (SDQ-1, Marsh, 1988). The participants were 479 grade 5 (mean age 126.6 months) coeducational Australian students, located in 18 schools. An intra-class research design was used to investigate the influence of frame-of-reference on self-concept development. As students' academic scores rose above their class mean their self-concepts increased and as students' academic scores fell below their class mean their self-concepts decreased. Students' difference from class mean predicted their self-concept scores. This finding was consistently shown across the reading, spelling, and mathematics domains using test and teaching rating data. A comparison between the PASS and the SDQ-1 demonstrated concurrent validity across self-concept domains. The findings support the notions that the social environment is a significant agent that influences self-concept, and that teacher ratings and standardised tests of achievement and the PASS and the SDQ-1 are valid measures for self-concept research.

  16. Mapping the Mayo-Portland adaptability inventory to the international classification of functioning, disability and health.

    PubMed

    Lexell, Jan; Malec, James F; Jacobsson, Lars J

    2012-01-01

    To examine the contents of the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI-4) by mapping it to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Each of the 30 scoreable items in the MPAI-4 was mapped to the most precise ICF categories. All 30 items could be mapped to components and categories in the ICF. A total of 88 meaningful concepts were identified. There were, on average, 2.9 meaningful concepts per item, and 65% of all concepts could be mapped. Items in the Ability and Adjustment subscales mapped to categories in both the Body Functions and Activity/Participation components of the ICF, whereas all except 1 in the Participation subscale were to categories in the Activity/Participation component. The items could also be mapped to 34 (13%) of the 258 Environmental Factors in the ICF. This mapping provides better definition through more concrete examples (as listed in the ICF) of the types of body functions, activities, and participation indicators that are represented by the 30 scoreable MPAI-4 items. This may assist users throughout the world in understanding the intent of each item, and support further development and the possibility to report results in the form of an ICF categorical profile, making it universally interpretable.

  17. Using concept mapping to mobilize a Black faith community to address HIV

    PubMed Central

    Szaflarski, Magdalena; Vaughn, Lisa M; McLinden, Daniel; Wess, Yolanda; Ruffner, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Research that partners with community stakeholders increases contextual relevance and community buy-in and maximizes the chance for intervention success. Within a framework of an academic-community partnership, this project assessed a Black faith-community’s needs and opportunities to address HIV. We used concept mapping to identify/prioritize specific HIV-related strategies that would be acceptable to congregations. Ninety stakeholders brainstormed strategies to address HIV; 21 sorted strategies into groups and rated their importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were applied to the sorting to produce maps that illustrated the stakeholders’ conceptual thinking about HIV interventions. Of 278 responses, 93 were used in the sorting task. The visual maps represented eight clusters: church acceptance of people living with HIV; education (most feasible); mobilization and communication; church/leaders’ empowerment; church involvement/collaboration; safety/HIV prevention; media outreach; and, stigma (most important). Concept mapping clarified multifaceted issues of HIV in the Black faith community. The results will guide HIV programming in congregations. PMID:28239439

  18. Differences in Clinical Features of Methamphetamine Users with Persistent Psychosis and Patients with Schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Wang, Liang-Jen; Lin, Shih-Ku; Chen, Yi-Chih; Huang, Ming-Chyi; Chen, Tzu-Ting; Ree, Shao-Chun; Chen, Chih-Ken

    Methamphetamine exerts neurotoxic effects and elicits psychotic symptoms. This study attempted to compare clinical differences between methamphetamine users with persistent psychosis (MAP) and patients with schizophrenia. In addition, we examined the discrimination validity by using symptom clusters to differentiate between MAP and schizophrenia. We enrolled 53 MAP patients and 53 patients with schizophrenia. The psychopathology of participants was assessed using the Chinese version of the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies and the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Logistic regression was used to examine the predicted probability scores of different symptom combinations on discriminating between MAP and schizophrenia. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses and area under the curve (AUC) were further applied to examine the discrimination validity of the predicted probability scores on differentiating between MAP and schizophrenia. We found that MAP and schizophrenia demonstrated similar patterns of delusions. Compared to patients with schizophrenia, MAP experienced significantly higher proportions of visual hallucinations and of somatic or tactile hallucinations. However, MAP exhibited significantly lower severity in conceptual disorganization, mannerism/posturing, blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, and motor retardation compared to patients with schizophrenia. The ROC analysis showed that a predicted probability score combining the aforementioned 7 items of symptoms could significantly differentiate between MAP and schizophrenia (AUC = 0.77). Findings in the current study suggest that nuanced differences might exist in the clinical presentation of secondary psychosis (MAP) and primary psychosis (schizophrenia). Combining the symptoms as a whole may help with differential diagnosis for MAP and schizophrenia. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  19. Reliability and Validity Evidence of the Chinese Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale Scores among Taiwanese Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flahive, Mon-hsin Wang; Chuang, Ying-Chih; Li, Chien-Mo

    2011-01-01

    The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale-Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2) was designed to measure self-concept among children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the scores of the Chinese version of the Piers-Harris 2 (Chinese Piers-Harris). The Chinese Piers-Harris 2 was administered to 243 Taiwanese…

  20. New methods for analyzing semantic graph based assessments in science education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vikaros, Lance Steven

    This research investigated how the scoring of semantic graphs (known by many as concept maps) could be improved and automated in order to address issues of inter-rater reliability and scalability. As part of the NSF funded SENSE-IT project to introduce secondary school science students to sensor networks (NSF Grant No. 0833440), semantic graphs illustrating how temperature change affects water ecology were collected from 221 students across 16 schools. The graphing task did not constrain students' use of terms, as is often done with semantic graph based assessment due to coding and scoring concerns. The graphing software used provided real-time feedback to help students learn how to construct graphs, stay on topic and effectively communicate ideas. The collected graphs were scored by human raters using assessment methods expected to boost reliability, which included adaptations of traditional holistic and propositional scoring methods, use of expert raters, topical rubrics, and criterion graphs. High levels of inter-rater reliability were achieved, demonstrating that vocabulary constraints may not be necessary after all. To investigate a new approach to automating the scoring of graphs, thirty-two different graph features characterizing graphs' structure, semantics, configuration and process of construction were then used to predict human raters' scoring of graphs in order to identify feature patterns correlated to raters' evaluations of graphs' topical accuracy and complexity. Results led to the development of a regression model able to predict raters' scoring with 77% accuracy, with 46% accuracy expected when used to score new sets of graphs, as estimated via cross-validation tests. Although such performance is comparable to other graph and essay based scoring systems, cross-context testing of the model and methods used to develop it would be needed before it could be recommended for widespread use. Still, the findings suggest techniques for improving the reliability and scalability of semantic graph based assessments without requiring constraint of how ideas are expressed.

  1. Human Mind Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glass, Tom

    2016-01-01

    When students generate mind maps, or concept maps, the maps are usually on paper, computer screens, or a blackboard. Human Mind Maps require few resources and little preparation. The main requirements are space where students can move around and a little creativity and imagination. Mind maps can be used for a variety of purposes, and Human Mind…

  2. From Planetary Mapping to Map Production: Planetary Cartography as integral discipline in Planetary Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nass, Andrea; van Gasselt, Stephan; Hargitai, Hendrik; Hare, Trent; Manaud, Nicolas; Karachevtseva, Irina; Kersten, Elke; Roatsch, Thomas; Wählisch, Marita; Kereszturi, Akos

    2016-04-01

    Cartography is one of the most important communication channels between users of spatial information and laymen as well as the open public alike. This applies to all known real-world objects located either here on Earth or on any other object in our Solar System. In planetary sciences, however, the main use of cartography resides in a concept called planetary mapping with all its various attached meanings: it can be (1) systematic spacecraft observation from orbit, i.e. the retrieval of physical information, (2) the interpretation of discrete planetary surface units and their abstraction, or it can be (3) planetary cartography sensu strictu, i.e., the technical and artistic creation of map products. As the concept of planetary mapping covers a wide range of different information and knowledge levels, aims associated with the concept of mapping consequently range from a technical and engineering focus to a scientific distillation process. Among others, scientific centers focusing on planetary cartography are the United State Geological Survey (USGS, Flagstaff), the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (MIIGAiK, Moscow), Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, Hungary), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Berlin). The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Commission Planetary Cartography within International Cartographic Association (ICA), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the WG IV/8 Planetary Mapping and Spatial Databases within International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and a range of other institutions contribute on definition frameworks in planetary cartography. Classical cartography is nowadays often (mis-)understood as a tool mainly rather than a scientific discipline and an art of communication. Consequently, concepts of information systems, mapping tools and cartographic frameworks are used interchangeably, and cartographic workflows and visualization of spatial information in thematic maps have often been neglected or were left to software systems to decide by some arbitrary default values. The diversity of cartography as a research discipline and its different contributions in geospatial sciences and communication of information and knowledge will be highlighted in this contribution. We invite colleagues from this and other discipline to discuss concepts and topics for joint future collaboration and research.

  3. Comparison of CT perfusion summary maps to early diffusion-weighted images in suspected acute middle cerebral artery stroke.

    PubMed

    Benson, John; Payabvash, Seyedmehdi; Salazar, Pascal; Jagadeesan, Bharathi; Palmer, Christopher S; Truwit, Charles L; McKinney, Alexander M

    2015-04-01

    To assess the accuracy and reliability of one vendor's (Vital Images, Toshiba Medical, Minnetonka, MN) automated CT perfusion (CTP) summary maps in identification and volume estimation of infarcted tissue in patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) distribution infarcts. From 1085 CTP examinations over 5.5 years, 43 diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-positive patients were included who underwent both CTP and DWI <12 h after symptom onset, with another 43 age-matched patients as controls (DWI-negative). Automated delay-corrected postprocessing software (DC-SVD) generated both infarct "core only" and "core+penumbra" CTP summary maps. Three reviewers independently tabulated Alberta Stroke Program Early CT scores (ASPECTS) of both CTP summary maps and coregistered DWI. Of 86 included patients, 36 had DWI infarct volumes ≤70 ml, 7 had volumes >70 ml, and 43 were negative; the automated CTP "core only" map correctly classified each as >70 ml or ≤70 ml, while the "core+penumbra" map misclassified 4 as >70 ml. There were strong correlations between DWI volume with both summary map-based volumes: "core only" (r=0.93), and "core+penumbra" (r=0.77) (both p<0.0001). Agreement between ASPECTS scores of infarct core on DWI with summary maps was 0.65-0.74 for "core only" map, and 0.61-0.65 for "core+penumbra" (both p<0.0001). Using DWI-based ASPECTS scores as the standard, the accuracy of the CTP-based maps were 79.1-86.0% for the "core only" map, and 83.7-88.4% for "core+penumbra." Automated CTP summary maps appear to be relatively accurate in both the detection of acute MCA distribution infarcts, and the discrimination of volumes using a 70 ml threshold. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Concept Maps and Informational Read-Alouds: Strengthening Both Science and Reading for Elementary Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, Jaime; Potter, Jalene; Hollas, Victoria

    2013-01-01

    This quasi-experimental study compared the effects of concept mapping and teacher generated questioning on students' organization and retention of science knowledge when used along with interactive informational read-alouds. Fifty-eight third grade students completed an eight-day unit regarding "soil formation." Students who participated…

  5. Promoting Conceptual Understanding via Adaptive Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Jacob P.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a scalable concept map based navigation system for a digital textbook. A literature review has been conducted to identify possible methods to promote conceptual understanding in the context of a digital textbook, and these hypothesized solutions will be evaluated through…

  6. Using Concept Maps to Reveal Conceptual Typologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hay, David B.; Kinchin, Ian M.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain and develop a classification of cognitive structures (or typologies of thought), previously designated as spoke, chain and network thinking by Kinchin "et al." Design/methodology/approach: The paper shows how concept mapping can be used to reveal these conceptual typologies and endeavours to place…

  7. An Electronic Engineering Curriculum Design Based on Concept-Mapping Techniques

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toral, S. L.; Martinez-Torres, M. R.; Barrero, F.; Gallardo, S.; Duran, M. J.

    2007-01-01

    Curriculum design is a concern in European Universities as they face the forthcoming European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This process can be eased by the use of scientific tools such as Concept-Mapping Techniques (CMT) that extract and organize the most relevant information from experts' experience using statistics techniques, and helps a…

  8. Use of Concept Mapping in an Undergraduate Introductory Exercise Physiology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henige, Kim

    2012-01-01

    Physiology is often considered a challenging course for students. It is up to teachers to structure courses and create learning opportunities that will increase the chance of student success. In an undergraduate exercise physiology course, concept maps are assigned to help students actively process and organize information into manageable and…

  9. A New Approach for Constructing the Concept Map

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tseng, Shian-Shyong; Sue, Pei-Chi; Su, Jun-Ming; Weng, Jui-Feng; Tsai, Wen-Nung

    2007-01-01

    In recent years, e-learning system has become more and more popular and many adaptive learning environments have been proposed to offer learners customized courses in accordance with their aptitudes and learning results. For achieving the adaptive learning, a predefined concept map of a course is often used to provide adaptive learning guidance…

  10. Pre-Service Teacher Beliefs on the Antecedents to Bullying: A Concept Mapping Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lopata, Joel A.; Nowicki, Elizabeth A.

    2014-01-01

    In this study, researchers gathered Canadian pre-service teachers' beliefs on the antecedents to bullying. Concept mapping (Kane & Trochim, 2007) was used to analyze the data. This study's findings identified pre-service teachers to have accurate beliefs, inaccurate beliefs, and a lack of knowledge about the antecedents to bullying. Concept…

  11. Expert Supervisors' Priorities When Working with Easy and Challenging Supervisees

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemer, Gulsah; Borders, L. DiAnne; Yel, Nedim

    2017-01-01

    Using Kemer, Borders, and Willse's (2014) concept map as a conceptual model, the authors aimed to understand expert supervisors' priorities with their easy and challenging supervisees. Experts' priorities with easy and challenging supervisees were represented in different parts of the concept map, and they seemed to individualize their work with…

  12. Improving the Usefulness of Concept Maps as a Research Tool for Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Zele, Els; Lenaerts, Josephina; Wieme, Willem

    2004-01-01

    The search for authentic science research tools to evaluate student understanding in a hybrid learning environment with a large multimedia component has resulted in the use of concept maps as a representation of student's knowledge organization. One hundred and seventy third-semester introductory university-level engineering students represented…

  13. How Not to Lose Your Students with Concept Maps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Francoise Judith Benay; Kennedy, Sarah; Semsar, Katharine

    2011-01-01

    Four physiology courses participating in a science education program used concept maps for the first time. At the conclusion of the term, students responded to an end-of-term survey about the activity. Following varied results, we sought to identify factors that students indicated are important for the acceptance of the technique. To encourage…

  14. The Contributions of Digital Concept Maps to Assessment for Learning Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Filiz, Mehmet; Trumpower, David; Atas, Sait

    2013-01-01

    We have been developing a digital concept maps website (www.conceptmapsforlearning.com) based on the principles of effective assessment for learning. The purpose of this paper is to reveal its promising contributions to formative evaluation practices. The website reduces the workload of teachers as well as provides immediate and delayed feedback…

  15. Assessing the Structure of a Concept Map

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giouvanakis, Thanasis; Samaras, Haido; Kehris, Evangelos; Mpakavos, Asterios

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a framework for the evaluation of concept maps. We focus on supporting the student in dealing with ill-structured and complex problems. We argue that these problems require the application of "the modularity approach." In view of this, the paper describes ways of providing student support for the implementation of…

  16. Using Concept Mapping and Paraphrasing for Reading Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marashi, Hamid; Bagheri, Nazanin

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the comparative impact of two types of teaching techniques, namely concept mapping and paraphrasing, on the reading comprehension of EFL learners. For this purpose, 60 learners of a total number of 90 intermediate learners studying at a language school in Karaj, Iran, were chosen through taking a piloted PET for…

  17. Remediating High School Students' Misconceptions Concerning Diffusion and Osmosis through Concept Mapping and Conceptual Change Text.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tekkaya, Ceren

    2003-01-01

    Investigates the effectiveness of combining conceptual change text and concept mapping strategies on students' understanding of diffusion and osmosis. Results indicate that while the average percentage of students in the experimental group holding a scientifically correct view rose, the percentage of correct responses in the control group…

  18. Using Creative Problem Solving to Promote Students' Performance of Concept Mapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tseng, Kuo-Hung; Chang, Chi-Cheng; Lou, Shi-Jer; Hsu, Pi-Shan

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to explore that using creative problem solving can promote students' performance of concept mapping (CMPING). Students were encouraged to use creative problem solving (CPS) in constructing nanometer knowledge structure, and then to promote the performance of CMPING. The knowledge structure was visualized through…

  19. Identifying Multi-Level Culturally Appropriate Smoking Cessation Strategies for Aboriginal Health Staff: A Concept Mapping Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, Anna P.; Cargo, Margaret; Stewart, Harold; Chong, Alwin; Daniel, Mark

    2013-01-01

    Aboriginal Australians, including Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs), smoke at rates double the non-Aboriginal population. This study utilized concept mapping methodology to identify and prioritize culturally relevant strategies to promote smoking cessation in AHWs. Stakeholder participants included AHWs, other health service employees and tobacco…

  20. Methods for Measuring the Influence of Concept Mapping on Student Information Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gordon, Carol A.

    2002-01-01

    Discusses research traditions in education and in information retrieval and explores the theory of expected information which uses formulas derived from the Fano measure and Bayesian statistics. Demonstrates its application in a study on the effects of concept mapping on the search behavior of tenth-grade biology students. (Author/LRW)

  1. Concept mapping to improve team work, team learning and care of the person with dementia and behavioural and psychological symptoms.

    PubMed

    Aberdeen, Suzanne M; Byrne, Graeme

    2018-04-01

    The incidence of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in residential aged care facilities is high. Effective team work and knowledgeable staff are cited as important facilitators of appropriate care responses to clients with these symptoms, but to achieve this within a resource-poor workplace can be challenging. In the study reported in this paper, concept mapping was trialled to enhance multifocal person-centred assessment and care planning as well as team learning. The outcomes of team concept mapping were evaluated using a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-testing in 11 selected Australian residential aged care facilities , including two control residential aged care facilities , over a nine-month period. It was demonstrated that use of concept mapping improved team function, measured as effectiveness of care planning, as well as enhancing learning, with increased knowledge of dementia care even amongst staff who were not directly involved with the process. It is suggested that these results may be generalizable to other countries and care settings.

  2. Does the mind map learning strategy facilitate information retrieval and critical thinking in medical students?

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background A learning strategy underutilized in medical education is mind mapping. Mind maps are multi-sensory tools that may help medical students organize, integrate, and retain information. Recent work suggests that using mind mapping as a note-taking strategy facilitates critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and critical thinking, as measured by the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT), and whether a relationship existed between mind mapping and recall of domain-based information. Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 131 first-year medical students were randomly assigned to a standard note-taking (SNT) group or mind map (MM) group during orientation. Subjects were given a demographic survey and pre-HSRT. They were then given an unfamiliar text passage, a pre-quiz based upon the passage, and a 30-minute break, during which time subjects in the MM group were given a presentation on mind mapping. After the break, subjects were given the same passage and wrote notes based on their group (SNT or MM) assignment. A post-quiz based upon the passage was administered, followed by a post-HSRT. Differences in mean pre- and post-quiz scores between groups were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, whereas differences in mean pre- and post-HSRT total scores and subscores between groups were analyzed using ANOVA. Mind map depth was assessed using the Mind Map Assessment Rubric (MMAR). Results There were no significant differences in mean scores on both the pre- and post-quizzes between note-taking groups. And, no significant differences were found between pre- and post-HSRT mean total scores and subscores. Conclusions Although mind mapping was not found to increase short-term recall of domain-based information or critical thinking compared to SNT, a brief introduction to mind mapping allowed novice MM subjects to perform similarly to SNT subjects. This demonstrates that medical students using mind maps can successfully retrieve information in the short term, and does not put them at a disadvantage compared to SNT students. Future studies should explore longitudinal effects of mind-map proficiency training on both short- and long-term information retrieval and critical thinking. PMID:20846442

  3. Concept Model on Topological Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ae, Tadashi; Kioi, Kazumasa

    2010-11-01

    We discuss a new model for concept based on topological learning, where the learning process on the neural network is represented by mathematical topology. The topological learning of neural networks is summarized by a quotient of input space and the hierarchical step induces a tree where each node corresponds to a quotient. In general, the concept acquisition is a difficult problem, but the emotion for a subject is represented by providing the questions to a person. Therefore, a kind of concept is captured by such data and the answer sheet can be mapped into a topology consisting of trees. In this paper, we will discuss a way of mapping the emotional concept to a topological learning model.

  4. Radiant thinking and the use of the mind map in nurse practitioner education.

    PubMed

    Spencer, Julie R; Anderson, Kelley M; Ellis, Kathryn K

    2013-05-01

    The concept of radiant thinking, which led to the concept of mind mapping, promotes all aspects of the brain working in synergy, with thought beginning from a central point. The mind map, which is a graphical technique to improve creative thinking and knowledge attainment, utilizes colors, images, codes, and dimensions to amplify and enhance key ideas. This technique augments the visualization of relationships and links between concepts, which aids in information acquisition, data retention, and overall comprehension. Faculty can promote students' use of the technique for brainstorming, organizing ideas, taking notes, learning collaboratively, presenting, and studying. These applications can be used in problem-based learning, developing plans of care, health promotion activities, synthesizing disease processes, and forming differential diagnoses. Mind mapping is a creative way for students to engage in a unique method of learning that can expand memory recall and help create a new environment for processing information. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  5. How to use concept mapping to identify barriers and facilitators of an electronic quality improvement intervention.

    PubMed

    van Engen-Verheul, Mariëtte; Peek, Niels; Vromen, Tom; Jaspers, Monique; de Keizer, Nicolette

    2015-01-01

    Systematic quality improvement (QI) interventions are increasingly used to change complex health care systems. Results of randomized clinical trials can provide quantitative evidence whether QI interventions were effective but they do not teach us why and how QI was (not) achieved. Qualitative research methods can answer these questions but typically involve only a small group of respondents against high resources. Concept mapping methodology overcomes these drawbacks by integrating results from qualitative group sessions with multivariate statistical analysis to represent ideas of diverse stakeholders visually on maps in an efficient way. This paper aims to describe how to use concept mapping to qualitatively gain insight into barriers and facilitators of an electronic QI intervention and presents experiences with the method from an ongoing case study to evaluate a QI system in the field of cardiac rehabilitation in the Netherlands.

  6. Developing and Validating an Abbreviated Version of the Microscale Audit for Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS-Abbreviated).

    PubMed

    Cain, Kelli L; Gavand, Kavita A; Conway, Terry L; Geremia, Carrie M; Millstein, Rachel A; Frank, Lawrence D; Saelens, Brian E; Adams, Marc A; Glanz, Karen; King, Abby C; Sallis, James F

    2017-06-01

    Macroscale built environment factors (e.g., street connectivity) are correlated with physical activity. Less-studied but more modifiable microscale elements (e.g., sidewalks) may also influence physical activity, but shorter audit measures of microscale elements are needed to promote wider use. This study evaluated the relation of an abbreviated 54-item streetscape audit tool with multiple measures of physical activity in four age groups. We developed a 54-item version from the original 120-item Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS). Audits were conducted on 0.25-0.45 mile routes from participant residences toward the nearest nonresidential destination for children (N=758), adolescents (N=897), younger adults (N=1,655), and older adults (N=367). Active transport and leisure physical activity were measured with surveys, and objective physical activity was measured with accelerometers. Items to retain from original MAPS were selected primarily by correlations with physical activity. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted for MAPS-Abbreviated summary scores, adjusting for demographics, participant clustering, and macroscale walkability. MAPS-Abbreviated and original MAPS total scores correlated r=.94 The MAPS-Abbreviated tool was related similarly to physical activity outcomes as the original MAPS. Destinations and land use, streetscape and walking path characteristics, and overall total scores were significantly related to active transport in all age groups. Street crossing characteristics were related to active transport in children and older adults. Aesthetics and social characteristics were related to leisure physical activity in children and younger adults, and cul-de-sacs were related with physical activity in youth. Total scores were related to accelerometer-measured physical activity in children and older adults. MAPS-Abbreviated is a validated observational measure for use in research. The length and related cost of implementation has been cited as a barrier to use of microscale instruments, so availability of this shorter validated measure could lead to more widespread use of streetscape audits in health research.

  7. Developing and Validating an Abbreviated Version of the Microscale Audit for Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS-Abbreviated)

    PubMed Central

    Cain, Kelli L.; Gavand, Kavita A.; Conway, Terry L.; Geremia, Carrie M.; Millstein, Rachel A.; Frank, Lawrence D.; Saelens, Brian E.; Adams, Marc A.; Glanz, Karen; King, Abby C.; Sallis, James F.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Macroscale built environment factors (e.g., street connectivity) are correlated with physical activity. Less-studied but more modifiable microscale elements (e.g., sidewalks) may also influence physical activity, but shorter audit measures of microscale elements are needed to promote wider use. This study evaluated the relation of an abbreviated 54-item streetscape audit tool with multiple measures of physical activity in four age groups. Methods We developed a 54-item version from the original 120-item Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS). Audits were conducted on 0.25-0.45 mile routes from participant residences toward the nearest nonresidential destination for children (N=758), adolescents (N=897), younger adults (N=1,655), and older adults (N=367). Active transport and leisure physical activity were measured with surveys, and objective physical activity was measured with accelerometers. Items to retain from original MAPS were selected primarily by correlations with physical activity. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted for MAPS-Abbreviated summary scores, adjusting for demographics, participant clustering, and macroscale walkability. Results MAPS-Abbreviated and original MAPS total scores correlated r=.94 The MAPS-Abbreviated tool was related similarly to physical activity outcomes as the original MAPS. Destinations and land use, streetscape and walking path characteristics, and overall total scores were significantly related to active transport in all age groups. Street crossing characteristics were related to active transport in children and older adults. Aesthetics and social characteristics were related to leisure physical activity in children and younger adults, and cul-de-sacs were related with physical activity in youth. Total scores were related to accelerometer-measured physical activity in children and older adults. Conclusion MAPS-Abbreviated is a validated observational measure for use in research. The length and related cost of implementation has been cited as a barrier to use of microscale instruments, so availability of this shorter validated measure could lead to more widespread use of streetscape audits in health research. PMID:29270361

  8. Understanding semantic mapping evolution by observing changes in biomedical ontologies.

    PubMed

    dos Reis, Julio Cesar; Pruski, Cédric; Da Silveira, Marcos; Reynaud-Delaître, Chantal

    2014-02-01

    Knowledge Organization Systems (KOSs) are extensively used in the biomedical domain to support information sharing between software applications. KOSs are proposed covering different, but overlapping subjects, and mappings indicate the semantic relation between concepts from two KOSs. Over time, KOSs change as do the mappings between them. This can result from a new discovery or a revision of existing knowledge which includes corrections of concepts or mappings. Indeed, changes affecting KOS entities may force the underline mappings to be updated in order to ensure their reliability over time. To tackle this open research problem, we study how mappings are affected by KOS evolution. This article presents a detailed descriptive analysis of the impact that changes in KOS have on mappings. As a case study, we use the official mappings established between SNOMED CT and ICD-9-CM from 2009 to 2011. Results highlight factors according to which KOS changes in varying degrees influence the evolution of mappings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Automating lexical cross-mapping of ICNP to SNOMED CT.

    PubMed

    Kim, Tae Youn

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of automating lexical cross-mapping of a logic-based nursing terminology (ICNP) to SNOMED CT using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. A two-stage approach included patterns identification, and application and evaluation of an automated term matching procedure. The performance of the automated procedure was evaluated using a test set against a gold standard (i.e. concept equivalency table) created independently by terminology experts. There were lexical similarities between ICNP diagnostic concepts and SNOMED CT. The automated term matching procedure was reliable as presented in recall of 65%, precision of 79%, accuracy of 82%, F-measure of 0.71 and the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of 0.78 (95% CI 0.73-0.83). When the automated procedure was not able to retrieve lexically matched concepts, it was also unlikely for terminology experts to identify a matched SNOMED CT concept. Although further research is warranted to enhance the automated matching procedure, the combination of cross-maps from UMLS and the automated procedure is useful to generate candidate mappings and thus, assist ongoing maintenance of mappings which is a significant burden to terminology developers.

  10. PPF Dependent Fixed Point Results for Triangular α c-Admissible Mappings

    PubMed Central

    Ćirić, Ljubomir; Alsulami, Saud M.; Salimi, Peyman

    2014-01-01

    We introduce the concept of triangular α c-admissible mappings (pair of mappings) with respect to η c nonself-mappings and establish the existence of PPF dependent fixed (coincidence) point theorems for contraction mappings involving triangular α c-admissible mappings (pair of mappings) with respect to η c nonself-mappings in Razumikhin class. Several interesting consequences of our theorems are also given. PMID:24672352

  11. Key features of an EU health information system: a concept mapping study.

    PubMed

    Rosenkötter, Nicole; Achterberg, Peter W; van Bon-Martens, Marja J H; Michelsen, Kai; van Oers, Hans A M; Brand, Helmut

    2016-02-01

    Despite the acknowledged value of an EU health information system (EU-HISys) and the many achievements in this field, the landscape is still heavily fragmented and incomplete. Through a systematic analysis of the opinions and valuations of public health stakeholders, this study aims to conceptualize key features of an EU-HISys. Public health professionals and policymakers were invited to participate in a concept mapping procedure. First, participants (N = 34) formulated statements that reflected their vision of an EU-HISys. Second, participants (N = 28) rated the relative importance of each statement and grouped conceptually similar ones. Principal Component and cluster analyses were used to condense these results to EU-HISys key features in a concept map. The number of key features and the labelling of the concept map were determined by expert consensus. The concept map contains 10 key features that summarize 93 statements. The map consists of a horizontal axis that represents the relevance of an 'organizational strategy', which deals with the 'efforts' to design and develop an EU-HISys and the 'achievements' gained by a functioning EU-HISys. The vertical axis represents the 'professional orientation' of the EU-HISys, ranging from the 'scientific' through to the 'policy' perspective. The top ranking statement expressed the need to establish a system that is permanent and sustainable. The top ranking key feature focuses on data and information quality. This study provides insights into key features of an EU-HISys. The results can be used to guide future planning and to support the development of a health information system for Europe. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

  12. The burden of neck pain: its meaning for persons with neck pain and healthcare providers, explored by concept mapping.

    PubMed

    van Randeraad-van der Zee, Carlijn H; Beurskens, Anna J H M; Swinkels, Raymond A H M; Pool, Jan J M; Batterham, Roy W; Osborne, Richard H; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2016-05-01

    To empirically define the concept of burden of neck pain. The lack of a clear understanding of this construct from the perspective of persons with neck pain and care providers hampers adequate measurement of this burden. An additional aim was to compare the conceptual model obtained with the frequently used Neck Disability Index (NDI). Concept mapping, combining qualitative (nominal group technique and group consensus) and quantitative research methods (cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling), was applied to groups of persons with neck pain (n = 3) and professionals treating persons with neck pain (n = 2). Group members generated statements, which were organized into concept maps. Group members achieved consensus about the number and description of domains and the researchers then generated an overall mind map covering the full breadth of the burden of neck pain. Concept mapping revealed 12 domains of burden of neck pain: impaired mobility neck, neck pain, fatigue/concentration, physical complaints, psychological aspects/consequences, activities of daily living, social participation, financial consequences, difficult to treat/difficult to diagnose, difference of opinion with care providers, incomprehension by social environment, and how person with neck pain deal with complaints. All ten items of the NDI could be linked to the mind map, but the NDI measures only part of the burden of neck pain. This study revealed the relevant domains for the burden of neck pain from the viewpoints of persons with neck pain and their care providers. These results can guide the identification of existing measurements instruments for each domain or the development of new ones to measure the burden of neck pain.

  13. Mapping as a learning strategy in health professions education: a critical analysis.

    PubMed

    Pudelko, Beatrice; Young, Meredith; Vincent-Lamarre, Philippe; Charlin, Bernard

    2012-12-01

    Mapping is a means of representing knowledge in a visual network and is becoming more commonly used as a learning strategy in medical education. The assumption driving the development and use of concept mapping is that it supports and furthers meaningful learning. The goal of this paper was to examine the effectiveness of concept mapping as a learning strategy in health professions education. The authors conducted a critical analysis of recent literature on the use of concept mapping as a learning strategy in the area of health professions education. Among the 65 studies identified, 63% were classified as empirical work, the majority (76%) of which used pre-experimental designs. Only 24% of empirical studies assessed the impact of mapping on meaningful learning. Results of the analysis do not support the hypothesis that mapping per se furthers and supports meaningful learning, memorisation or factual recall. When documented improvements in learning were found, they often occurred when mapping was used in concert with other strategies, such as collaborative learning or instructor modelling, scaffolding and feedback. Current empirical research on mapping as a learning strategy presents methodological shortcomings that limit its internal and external validity. The results of our analysis indicate that mapping strategies that make use of feedback and scaffolding have beneficial effects on learning. Accordingly, we see a need to expand the process of reflection on the characteristics of representational guidance as it is provided by mapping techniques and tools based on field of knowledge, instructional objectives, and the characteristics of learners in health professions education. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

  14. Critical Thinking and the Use of Nontraditional Instructional Methodologies.

    PubMed

    Orique, Sabrina B; McCarthy, Mary Ann

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between critical thinking and the use of concept mapping (CM) and problem-based learning (PBL) during care plan development. A quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted using a convenience sample (n = 49) of first-semester undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. Critical thinking was measured using the Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric. Data analysis consisted of a repeated measures analysis of variance with post hoc mean comparison tests using the Bonferroni method. Findings indicated that mean critical thinking at phase 4 (CM and PBL) was significantly higher, compared with phase 1 (baseline), phase 2 (PBL), and phase 3 (CM [p < 0.001]). The results support the utilization of nontraditional instructional (CM and PBL) methodologies in undergraduate nursing curricula. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  15. The Africa Yoga Project: A Participant-Driven Concept Map of Kenyan Teachers' Reported Experiences.

    PubMed

    Klein, Jessalyn E; Cook-Cottone, Catherine; Giambrone, Carla

    2015-01-01

    The Africa Yoga Project (AYP) trains and funds Kenyans to teach community yoga classes. Preliminary research with a small sample of AYP teachers suggested the program had a positive impact. This study used concept mapping to explore the experiences of a larger sample. Participants brainstormed statements about how practicing and/or teaching yoga changed them. They sorted statements into self-defined piles and rated them in terms of perceived importance. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) of sort data calculated statement coordinates wherein each statement is placed in proximity to other statements as a function of how frequently statements are sorted together by participants. These results are then and mapped in a two-dimensional space. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of these data identified clusters (i.e., concepts) among statements. Cluster average importance ratings gave the concept map depth and indicated concept importance. Bridging analysis and researchers' conceptual understanding of yoga literature facilitated HCA interpretive decisions. Of 72 AYP teachers, 52 and 48 teachers participated in brainstorming and sorting/rating activities, respectively. Teachers brainstormed 93 statements about how they had changed. The resultant MDS statement map had adequate validity (stress value = .29). HCA created a 12-cluster solution with the following concepts of perceived change: Identity as a Yoga Teacher; Prosocial Development; Existential Possibility; Genuine Positive Regard; Value and Respect for Others (highest importance); Presence, Acceptance, and Competence; Service and Trust; Non-judgment and Emotion Regulation (lowest importance); Engagement and Connection; Interpersonal Effectiveness; Psychosocial Functioning; and Physical Competence and Security. Teachers perceived the AYP as facilitating change across physical, mental, and spiritual domains. Additional research is needed to quantify and compare this change to other health promotion program outcomes.

  16. Principles and techniques of polarimetric mapping.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halajian, J.; Hallock, H.

    1973-01-01

    This paper introduces the concept and potential value of polarimetric maps and the techniques for generating these maps in operational remote sensing. The application-oriented polarimetric signature analyses in the literature are compiled, and several optical models are illustrated to bring out requirements of a sensor system for polarimetric mapping. By use of the concepts of Stokes parameters the descriptive specification of one sensor system is refined. The descriptive specification for a multichannel digital photometric-polarimetric mapper is based upon our experience with the present single channel device which includes the generation of polarimetric maps and pictures. High photometric accuracy and stability coupled with fast, accurate digital output has enabled us to overcome the handicap of taking sequential data from the same terrain.

  17. Is Your Neighborhood Designed to Support Physical Activity? A Brief Streetscape Audit Tool.

    PubMed

    Sallis, James F; Cain, Kelli L; Conway, Terry L; Gavand, Kavita A; Millstein, Rachel A; Geremia, Carrie M; Frank, Lawrence D; Saelens, Brian E; Glanz, Karen; King, Abby C

    2015-09-03

    Macro level built environment factors (eg, street connectivity, walkability) are correlated with physical activity. Less studied but more modifiable microscale elements of the environment (eg, crosswalks) may also affect physical activity, but short audit measures of microscale elements are needed to promote wider use. This study evaluated the relation of a 15-item neighborhood environment audit tool with a full version of the tool to assess neighborhood design on physical activity in 4 age groups. From the 120-item Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) measure of street design, sidewalks, and street crossings, we developed the 15-item version (MAPS-Mini) on the basis of associations with physical activity and attribute modifiability. As a sample of a likely walking route, MAPS-Mini was conducted on a 0.25-mile route from participant residences toward the nearest nonresidential destination for children (n = 758), adolescents (n = 897), younger adults (n = 1,655), and older adults (n = 367). Active transportation and leisure physical activity were measured with age-appropriate surveys, and accelerometers provided objective physical activity measures. Mixed-model regressions were conducted for each MAPS item and a total environment score, adjusted for demographics, participant clustering, and macrolevel walkability. Total scores of MAPS-Mini and the 120-item MAPS correlated at r = .85. Total microscale environment scores were significantly related to active transportation in all age groups. Items related to active transport in 3 age groups were presence of sidewalks, curb cuts, street lights, benches, and buffer between street and sidewalk. The total score was related to leisure physical activity and accelerometer measures only in children. The MAPS-Mini environment measure is short enough to be practical for use by community groups and planning agencies and is a valid substitute for the full version that is 8 times longer.

  18. Digital soil mapping as a basis for climatically oriented agriculture a thematic on the territory of the national crop testing fields of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahabiev, I. A.; Giniyatullin, K. G.; Ryazanov, S. S.

    2018-01-01

    The concept of climate-optimized agriculture (COA) of the UN FAO implies the transformation of agriculture techniques in conditions of changing climate. It is important to implement a timely transition to the concept of COA and sustainable development of soil resources, accurate digital maps of spatial distribution of soils and soil properties are needed. Digital mapping of soil humus content was carried out on the territory of the national crop testing fields (NCTF) of the Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation) and the accuracy of the maps obtained was estimated.

  19. Comparing Computer-Supported Dynamic Modeling and "Paper & Pencil" Concept Mapping Technique in Students' Collaborative Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Komis, Vassilis; Ergazaki, Marida; Zogza, Vassiliki

    2007-01-01

    This study aims at highlighting the collaborative activity of two high school students (age 14) in the cases of modeling the complex biological process of plant growth with two different tools: the "paper & pencil" concept mapping technique and the computer-supported educational environment "ModelsCreator". Students' shared activity in both cases…

  20. Implementation of Concept Mapping to Novices: Reasons for Errors, a Matter of Technique or Content?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conradty, Catherine; Bogner, Franz X.

    2010-01-01

    Concept mapping is discussed as a means to promote meaningful learning and in particular progress in reading comprehension skills. Its increasing implementation necessitates the acquisition of adequate knowledge about frequent errors in order to make available an effective introduction to the new learning method. To analyse causes of errors, 283…

  1. Effects of Concept Mapping Instruction Approach on Students' Achievement in Basic Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogonnaya, Ukpai Patricia; Okafor, Gabriel; Abonyi, Okechukwu S.; Ugama, J. O.

    2016-01-01

    The study investigated the effects of concept mapping on students' achievement in basic science. The study was carried out in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. Specifically the pretest posttest non-equivalent control group research design was used. The sample was 122 students selected from two secondary…

  2. The Impact of Concept Mapping on EFL Learners' Critical Thinking Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khodadady, Ebrahim; Ghanizadeh, Afsaneh

    2011-01-01

    The present study investigated the influence of concept mapping as a post-reading strategy on EFL learners' critical thinking ability. The study utilized a pretest-posttest control and experimental group design. To do so, thirty six EFL learners at upper intermediate and advanced levels were randomly assigned to experimental (n=18) and control…

  3. Higher Education Planning for a Strategic Goal with a Concept Mapping Process at a Small Private College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Driscoll, Deborah P.

    2010-01-01

    Faculty, staff, and administrators at a small independent college determined that planning with a Concept Mapping process efficiently produced strategic thinking and action plans for the accomplishment of a strategic goal to expand experiential learning within the curriculum. One year into a new strategic plan, the college enjoyed enrollment…

  4. The Contribution of Constructivist Instruction Accompanied by Concept Mapping in Enhancing Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemistry in the Laboratory Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Sevgi; Aydemir, Nurdane; Boz, Yezdan; Cetin-Dindar, Ayla; Bektas, Oktay

    2009-01-01

    The present study aimed to evaluate whether a chemistry laboratory course called "Laboratory Experiments in Science Education" based on constructivist instruction accompanied with concept mapping enhanced pre-service chemistry teachers' conceptual understanding. Data were collected from five pre-service chemistry teachers at a university…

  5. Moving Digital Libraries into the Student Learning Space: The GetSmart Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Byron B.; Chen, Hsinchun; Shen, Rao; Fox, Edward A.

    2006-01-01

    The GetSmart system was built to support theoretically sound learning processes in a digital library environment by integrating course management, digital library, and concept mapping components to support a constructivist, six-step, information search process. In the fall of 2002 more than 100 students created 1400 concept maps as part of…

  6. The Process of Collaborative Concept Mapping in Kindergarten and the Effect on Critical Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sundararajan, NarayanKripa; Adesope, Olusola; Cavagnetto, Andy

    2017-01-01

    To develop and nurture critical thinking, students must have opportunities to observe and practice critical thinking in the classroom. In this parallel mixed method classroom study, we investigate the role of collaborative concept mapping in the development of kindergarten learners' critical thinking skills of analysis and interpretation over a…

  7. Using Concept Maps to Engage Adult Learners in Critical Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yelich Biniecki, Susan M.; Conceição, Simone C. O.

    2016-01-01

    An understanding of learning theories can help adult educators become more effective practitioners and meet the needs of the learners they serve. Adult educators who understand how individuals learn can be better prepared to use effective strategies during the learning process. This article addresses the use of concept maps as a strategy to engage…

  8. A Votable Concept Mapping Approach to Promoting Students' Attentional Behavior: An Analysis of Sequential Behavioral Patterns and Brainwave Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Jerry Chih-Yuan; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lin, Yu-Yan; Yu, Shih-Jou; Pan, Liu-Cheng; Chen, Ariel Yu-Zhen

    2018-01-01

    This study explores the effects of integrated concept maps and classroom polling systems on students' learning performance, attentional behavior, and brainwaves associated with attention. Twenty-nine students from an Educational Research Methodology course were recruited as participants. For data collection, inclass quizzes, attentional behavior…

  9. Traumatizing Aspects of Providing Counselling in Community Agencies to Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Concept Map

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kadambi, Michaela A.; Truscott, Derek

    2008-01-01

    Concept mapping (a combined qualitative/quantitative approach) was used to clarify and understand 72 Canadian professionals' experience of what they found to be traumatizing about their work with sexual violence survivors in community settings. A sample of 30 professionals providing community-based treatment to survivors of sexual violence sorted…

  10. Designs of Concept Maps and Their Impacts on Readers' Performance in Memory and Reasoning while Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tzeng, Jeng-Yi

    2010-01-01

    From the perspective of the Fuzzy Trace Theory, this study investigated the impacts of concept maps with two strategic orientations (comprehensive and thematic representations) on readers' performance of cognitive operations (such as perception, verbatim memory, gist reasoning and syntheses) while the readers were reading two history articles that…

  11. Using Concept Mapping to Improve Parent Implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions for Children with Challenging Behaviors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alkahtani, Keetam D. F.

    2013-01-01

    Children's challenging behaviors can be addressed with effective interventions that can meet children's emotional needs and support their families. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) value the family involvement in the process of their child treatment. The intention of this study was to use concept mapping as an adjunct to PBIS…

  12. The Effect of Using Concept Maps as Study Tools on Achievement in Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BouJaoude, Saouma; Attieh, May

    2008-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine whether or not the construction of concept maps by students improves their achievement and ability to solve higher order questions in chemistry, (2) investigate the differential effect of the treatment by gender and achievement level, and (3) explore the relationships between performance on concept…

  13. The Effects of Utilising the Concept Maps in Teaching History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nair, Subadrah Madhawa; Narayanasamy, Moganasundari

    2017-01-01

    Teaching History is a tough and challenging task for teachers because most students consider History as a boring subject. Many studies indicate that students are not interested in learning History. This paper is based on a quasi-experimental study conducted to investigate the effects of utilizing the concept map method in the teaching of History…

  14. Concept Mapping in Science Class: A Case Study of Fifth Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asan, Askin

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this research project was to determine the effects of incorporating concept mapping on the achievement of fifth grade students in science class. The study was conducted with twenty-three students at Ata Elementary School, Trabzon, Turkey. The students were tested with teacher-constructed pre- and post tests containing 20…

  15. The Effect of Concept Mapping on Students' Learning Achievements and Interests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chiou, Chei-Chang

    2008-01-01

    The study described in this paper has examined whether concept mapping can be used to help students to improve their learning achievement and interests. The participants were 124 students from two classes enrolled in an advanced accounting course at the School of Management of a university in Taiwan. The experimental data revealed two important…

  16. Aggregating Concept Map Data to Investigate the Knowledge of Beginning CS Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mühling, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    Concept maps have a long history in educational settings as a tool for teaching, learning, and assessing. As an assessment tool, they are predominantly used to extract the structural configuration of learners' knowledge. This article presents an investigation of the knowledge structures of a large group of beginning CS students. The investigation…

  17. Linking Reading and Writing: Concept Mapping as an Organizing Tactic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osman-Jouchoux, Rionda

    Writers often must summarize others' texts as part of their own work. To succeed at this, they must first read and understand new information and then transform that information to fulfill a specific purpose. Concept mapping, used as a visual organizing technique, can be an effective link between the two processes. In a preliminary study, students…

  18. Identifying User Interaction Patterns in E-Textbooks

    PubMed Central

    Saarinen, Santeri; Turunen, Markku; Mikkilä-Erdmann, Mirjamaija; Erdmann, Norbert; Yrjänäinen, Sari; Keskinen, Tuuli

    2015-01-01

    We introduce a new architecture for e-textbooks which contains two navigational aids: an index and a concept map. We report results from an evaluation in a university setting with 99 students. The interaction sequences of the users were captured during the user study. We found several clusters of user interaction types in our data. Three separate user types were identified based on the interaction sequences: passive user, term clicker, and concept map user. We also discovered that with the concept map interface users started to interact with the application significantly sooner than with the index interface. Overall, our findings suggest that analysis of interaction patterns allows deeper insights into the use of e-textbooks than is afforded by summative evaluation. PMID:26605377

  19. Identifying User Interaction Patterns in E-Textbooks.

    PubMed

    Saarinen, Santeri; Heimonen, Tomi; Turunen, Markku; Mikkilä-Erdmann, Mirjamaija; Raisamo, Roope; Erdmann, Norbert; Yrjänäinen, Sari; Keskinen, Tuuli

    2015-01-01

    We introduce a new architecture for e-textbooks which contains two navigational aids: an index and a concept map. We report results from an evaluation in a university setting with 99 students. The interaction sequences of the users were captured during the user study. We found several clusters of user interaction types in our data. Three separate user types were identified based on the interaction sequences: passive user, term clicker, and concept map user. We also discovered that with the concept map interface users started to interact with the application significantly sooner than with the index interface. Overall, our findings suggest that analysis of interaction patterns allows deeper insights into the use of e-textbooks than is afforded by summative evaluation.

  20. Granger-causality maps of diffusion processes.

    PubMed

    Wahl, Benjamin; Feudel, Ulrike; Hlinka, Jaroslav; Wächter, Matthias; Peinke, Joachim; Freund, Jan A

    2016-02-01

    Granger causality is a statistical concept devised to reconstruct and quantify predictive information flow between stochastic processes. Although the general concept can be formulated model-free it is often considered in the framework of linear stochastic processes. Here we show how local linear model descriptions can be employed to extend Granger causality into the realm of nonlinear systems. This novel treatment results in maps that resolve Granger causality in regions of state space. Through examples we provide a proof of concept and illustrate the utility of these maps. Moreover, by integration we convert the local Granger causality into a global measure that yields a consistent picture for a global Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Finally, we recover invariance transformations known from the theory of autoregressive processes.

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