Scoring student-generated concept maps in introductory college chemistr

This study presents a method for scoring concept maps generated by students learning introductory college chemistry. Concept maps provide a visualization of cognitive structure. When a student draws a concept map for chemical reactions the result is a personification of the student's conceptual framework for understanding the concepts and propositions of chemical change. Developing a valid method for scoring student concept maps will enable educators to evaluate student knowledge free of the bias and arbitrariness often associated with qualitative reviews.;The scoring methodology presented in this study permits evaluation of the learning characteristics of students in chemistry. The concept map measures the amount of chemical information the student possesses, reasoning ability in chemistry, and the presence of specific misconceptions of introductory and physical chemistry concepts.;This research has demonstrated that the concept map category score for propositional validity reflects student reasoning ability in chemistry. The ratio of valid connecting lines to total number of connecting lines drawn (per strand) significantly correlated with formal reasoning ability in chemistry. The corresponding map category score for hierarchical structure reflects the amount of chemical information possessed by a student. Students who possess large amounts of information about chemistry position more vocabulary words within each hierarchical level than the student who demonstrates limited chemical knowledge.;The data in this research also suggest the greater a student's understanding of introductory chemistry concepts the more strands s/he employs in mapping concepts and propositions related to chemical reactions. Low strand count reflected specific misconceptions about Avogadro's Number, the mole concept, and the Law of Conservation of Matter.;Scoring Student-Generated Concept Maps In Introductory College Chemistry provides a method for objectively measuring student heuristic processing in chemistry. Utilizing student-generated concept maps enhances the teacher's diagnostic and instructional role in the classroom.