The effects of incorporating concept mapping into computer assisted instruction

This study investigated the effects of incorporating concept mapping into c omputer assisted instruction (CAI). Ninety-one tenth-grade students in Sing apore participated in the study, in which they were randomly assigned to th ree groups. In the Partial Map group, partial concept maps were used in the program and the students were asked to construct concept maps after review ing each topic; in the Complete Map group, complete concept maps were provi ded; and in the Menu-Selection group, traditional menu-selection interface was used. The Complete Map group and Menu-Selection group performed note-ta king activities instead of concept mapping activity. It was found that stud ents in the Partial Map group performed significantly better than the other two groups on a chemistry achievement test and significantly better than t he Menu-Selection group on a concept mapping test. The results suggest that assigning students with a concept mapping activity accompanying a CAI tuto rial program is a plausible method to enhance their learning.