Concept Mapping for Learning from Text: Evidence for a Worked-Out-Map-Effect

Abstract

A concept map consists of nodes representing concepts and links representing the relationships between the concepts. To examine the influence of concept mapping on learning from texts, we varied the support strategies. Eighty students either learned by constructing concept maps on their own, by correcting an incorrect worked-out map, or by studying a correct worked-out map. A control group did not engage in any follow-up activity for learning from text. As expected, learners profited most from studying the correct worked-out map. Students who corrected an incorrect worked-out map did not have a better learning result than students who generated concept maps on their own or the control group. On the contrary, they produced many false conclusions in the comprehension test.