An exploration of computer-mediated skill adquisition in concept mapping by in-service panamanian public elementary schoolteachers

Resumo

Since the development of concept maps over thirty years ago, a vast body of research has accumulated on their use and impact in education. This research has provided much evidence that concept mapping, by providing a graphic representation of aspects of learners' cognitive structure, can indeed support meaningful learning in numerous ways. In particular, concept maps help to establish what a learner already knows, which is, from the perspective of Ausubel's Assimilation Theory, "the single most important factor influencing learning." In spite of the popularity of concept maps, hardly anything is known about how learners acquire the ability to construct concept maps. Research involving concept maps has focused on the application of the skill to a given cognitive task, rather than on its acquisition. In a typical study, subjects are provided with a certain amount of training in concept mapping, which varies greatly from one study to another. Once the training period is over, subjects are assumed to be proficient mappers, and data involving the specific application of the concept mapping technique is collected. Many researchers have noted, however, that learners generally require months to reach the point where they are able to accurately represent their knowledge and understanding of a topic in a concept map. Aside from this fact, namely, that effective concept mapping requires time and practice, little else is known about how learners actually acquire this skill. This dissertation explored the process by which learners acquire skill in concept mapping, specifically, computer-mediated concept mapping. The study took place in the context of Panama's Conéctate Project, where elementary public schoolteachers are being trained in concept mapping in 2-week workshops. In view of the time required by average learners to become proficient mappers, the short period considered in this study would correspond to the very beginning of the training phase; hence, this study's results tell only a small fraction of the story. This tale constitutes, nonetheless, a solid starting point. It helps us understand the difficulties that novice mappers confront, and helps explain the initial resistance they often display. This understanding, in turn, can assist in developing more effective concept mapping training programs, and guide trainers' expectations towards more realistic goals, as they work with apprentice mappers to achieve increasingly better representations of their knowledge structures, and to make better use of concept mapping to sustain meaningful learning processes.