Concept Mapping

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

The concept map is a tool that was developed in the 1970s by Cornell University professor Joseph Novak in his research course for organizing and representing knowledge. Concept maps allow their creators to identify visually what they know about a concept and how the ideas related to the concept are connected. The theoretical underpinnings for the tool are based on David Ausubel's assimilation of learning theory. This theory is based on the proposition that meaningful learning and recall take place through the assimilation of new concepts and ideas into what is already known by a learner, that is, into the conceptual framework that the learner already holds. Ausubel refers to this process as meaningful learning; new ideas or concepts are linked with previously acquired knowledge. One of the goals in the development of concept maps is to promote meaningful learning.

Either an individual or a group of people can produce a concept map. Concept mapping can be done for several purposes: to generate ideas, to design a complex structure, to communicate complex ideas, to aid learning by explicitly integrating new and old knowledge, and to assess understanding or diagnose misunderstanding. The holistic visual representation of a concept and the fact that information can be presented in a quick and easy manner on one page are two of the advantages to concept mapping. Concept mapping is also a visual tool that can be used to explain and present a complex concept in fewer words than if text were used.

Concept map construction requires a series of steps that lead to a visual representation of a person's knowledge and comprehension of a subject or concept. The process of developing a concept map has been compared to brainstorming. The “mapper” begins with a specific topic and then identifies all the key concepts that are related to the subject. The next step in the process is to place the concepts on the map. The concepts are portrayed in text boxes, often referred to as nodes. The text boxes are linked together using lines. The lines can be labeled with words, propositions on the links that identify the relationship between two text boxes. Usually arrows are used to demonstrate the direction of the link. The mapmaker may find, as the map progresses, that not all of the concepts that were originally identified are relevant or connected to the subject matter. Concept maps can be drawn by hand or completed using a computer software program.

Prior to developing a concept map, a choice must be made as to which type of map best matches the subject matter. Concept maps have been categorized and described in various ways in the literature. There are four basic types of concept maps. Hierarchical concept maps start with the most important information on the top and present information in a descending order of importance. Spider maps start with the central theme in the center with subthemes and concepts shown as radiating outward from this center. These maps may depict both the hierarchy and the interrelatedness of the concepts. Flowchart concept maps organize information in a linear fashion that represents cause and effect. The systems concept map, the last basic type of concept map, organizes information linearly, and has inputs and outputs that differentiate it from a flowchart. There are also three specialized concept maps: pictorial or landscape, multidimensional/3-D, and Mandala/[Page 197]Mandala. In the latter, information is presented within a series of interlocking geometric shapes.

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