TITLE:
Biology Schemata Knowledge Organization and Meaning Formation Due to Learning: A Constructive-Chronometric Approach to Concept Mapping Usability
AUTHORS:
Maria Elena Urdiales-Ibarra, Ernesto Octavio Lopez-Ramirez, Claudia Castro-Campos, Maria Guadalupe Villarreal-Treviño, Janay Emmanuel Carrillo-Colon
KEYWORDS:
Learning, Biology, Mental Representation, Meaning Formation, Concept Maps
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.9 No.16,
December
10,
2018
ABSTRACT: This study investigated how using concept maps affects meaning formation and schemata organization of a biology course content. Here, high school students taking an introductory course on biology were required to provide conceptual definitions for ten course-relevant target concepts by using a natural semantic network technique. This allowed us to computer-simulate schemata behavior and select schemata-related concepts that were used to compare these word pairs against other semantic related concepts in a semantic priming study before and after the course. An experimental group used concept maps as a learning tool whereas the control did not. Results showed that semantic priming effects to schemata related concepts are obtained only for students who used concept maps as a learning tool. Implications of the study findings are discussed in the context of a formative learning approach.