The Impact of Trial-and-Error Modifications on Map Scores in the Concept Mapping Process: A Study of Recomposition Concept Map

Abstract

The importance of trial-and-error modifications during concept mapping has been highlighted, but such modification activities have been difficult to analyze systematically due to learners’ freedom in creating nodes and links. This study analyzed three datasets of university students using the recomposition concept map, where learners recompose maps using only teacher-provided components, to investigate how modification activities impact the map score (an indicator of map quality). A multiple regression analysis revealed that the number of false propositions created and proposition changes had a significant and strong impact on the map score. Analysis comparing high and low-scoring groups revealed no differences in modification frequency and precision of targeting false propositions, but found differences in the success rate of correcting false propositions and the recall of such propositions. These findings show that modification activities affect the map score and suggest the importance of supporting proposition modification for low-scoring learners.