Pixel International Conferences

Despite the fact that the learning process is becoming more exploratory and investigative, there is still a need for methodological diversity to evaluate learning processes in science.

To identify changes in students' thinking and their ability to orientate within and between different subject areas, it is not enough for the knowledge tests usually used at school (multiple choice, true or false etc.). To find out how new knowledge is integrating into students` cognitive thinking, there is a need for a versatile evaluation tool that fulfill more functions than just assessing students` factual knowledge.

One of the possible solutions is using a concept mapping method for assessment, first described by Joseph Novak. Several studies have shown that the concept mapping method as an assessment tool provides the opportunity to identify students' misconceptions and make sure if the learned knowledge is accurate.

The aim of the study is to find out, how students biology-based concept maps are developing during high school. There are several measures for analyzing concept maps. By using quantitative assessment method, a range of characteristics can be assessed e.g. number of concepts; number of propositions; number of cross-links.

To assess students` biology knowledge in high school the results of one large-scale study are used. Concept maps of 2216 10th grade (first year in high school) students were collected in 2012. In two years same students` were assessed again at the end of high school. The students' concept maps were analyzed in three categories: “size”, “structure” and “quality”. The quantitative characteristics of concept maps were analyzed by Cmapanalysis software, which calculates several different measures in categories “size” and “structure”. The concept maps composed in grade 12 were on a higher level than those from students in grade 10. The results show that even if the number of correct propositions is rising during the high school, then unfortunately the number of incorrect propositions stays the same. 

Based on the result, we can recommend teacher to use different methods for assessment, such as concept mapping.