The Design And Research Of A Comparative Concept Mapping Tool Under The Environment Of Collaborative Learning

The debate between two opposing perspectives of conceptual change-"coherence" and"knowledge in pieces"-has lasted for decades;nevertheless,fragmentation view seems ascendant nowadays.Drawing on the "Knowledge in pieces" view,Learning is a process wherein humans take fragmented information and create knowledge structures.The resulting fragmented nature of knowledge structures might hinder students from integrating those knowledge pieces into useful knowledge.Meanwhile,People live in their own personal electronic villages,accessing only information and contacting only other people that are consistent with their own perspectives and goals,which results in the fragmentation of socio-culture,learning,teaching and technology.In this paper,we proposed a computer-based comparative concept mapping tool that addresses the issue of knowledge fragmentation and socio-culture fragmentation.This paper reviewed the literature on knowledge construction and integration,concept mapping,CSCL,and reflections as the basis for a creative learning environment that supports collaborative learning between students and minimizes knowledge fragmentation.The research adopted the design-based-research method and designed functions of the comparative concept mapping tool.After that,the research conducted verification experiments and analyzed data from the pre-post tests,questionnaires,and interviews.According to experiment results,when students use this learning environment,they are more competent in comparing and grasping connections between different ideas.The environment provides structural and content analytical reports to facilitate knowledge integration and collaborative learning.Besides,this comparative concept mapping tool can provide CSCL with new data collection and research design methods.