ASSESSMENT OF TEACHERS’ OPINIONS ABOUT THE USAGE OF CONCEPT MAPS
Journal Name:
- Turkish Studies
Key Words:
Keywords (Original Language):
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Abstract (2. Language):
and Aim
Concept maps make learning easier on account of some properties they include. Particularly, the fact that concept maps are used for educational purposes such as a material, an assessment instrument and a method make information understood easier. Concepts, the most basic elements of information, become meaningful and permanent thanks to concept maps.
It is now known that concept maps, which are known to be very useful for providing meaningful and permanent learning, should be used extensively in an education environment. When we consider the educational attainments of making students prepare concept maps and considering the fact that that concept maps can be used for various purposed in providing learning, it is essential that teachers’ awareness level of concept maps be increased. This study is significant in that it encourages teachers to include concept maps in their lessons more by drawing attention to the unknown sides of concept maps.
The aim of this study is to determine whether or not teachers’ opinions about the usage area of concept maps have changed in terms of certain variables (the faculty they studied, sexuality, when did you first hear ‘concept map’?)
Method
This study, aiming to get teachers’ opinion, is in descriptive survey model. 110 questionnaires were distributed as sample to the teachers working in the city centre of Isparta, but 102 of them provided feedback. The feedback rate of the questionnaires was 92%. The questionnaires were based on voluntariness and the identities of the participants were kept confidential.
The questionnaire prepared by the researcher was used as the instrument for collecting data. Five point Likert scale ranging from “Strongly disagree”, “Disagree”, “Mildly agree”, “Agree”, to “Strongly agree” was applied to the entries in the survey. A preliminary test was conducted after the survey was improved as draft. When the reliability of the data collection instrument, initially consisting of 20 entries, was calculated, its reliability coefficient was found below .70. Since it could not be used in this way, its reliability coefficient was calculated again after the five entries decreasing the reliability were excluded and then cronbach alpha value was found as .72. Factor analysis was performed in order to determine the construct validity of the scale. Before starting the analysis, its KMO value was examined in order to determine whether or not it is appropriate for factorization. At the end of the analysis KMO was found as .71.This result showed that the data belonging to the scale were appropriate for factorization. At the end of the factor analysis, 15 entries were found whose factor loadings range between .45 and .84.
Frequency, percentage arithmetic mean, t-test and one-way anova tests were used in the analysis of the data.Findings and Discussion
When we look at the entries standing out in the survey, 61,8% of the teachers who participated in the survey stated that they answered “strongly agree” the third entry of the survey “I believe concept maps display the subjects as a whole”, 61,8%of them answered “strongly agree” the fourth entry of the survey “I believe concept maps show what belongs to where by making associations”, 38,2% of them answered “strongly agree” and 40,2% of them “agree” the second entry of the survey “I believe concept maps eliminate concept errors”.
In terms of sexuality variable, the average of the answers of women teachers was calculated as 3,68 and standard deviation was calculated as 0,42 whereas the average of male teacherswas calculated 3,72 and standard deviation was calculated 0,37. The result of the t test which was applied to average points was found as .47. In accordance with this score, the difference between the groups is not meaningful .05 level (p>0,05).
In terms of the faculty they attended, the average of the answers of teachers from education faculties was calculated as 3,70, standard deviation was 0,36; the average of the answers of teachers from faculties of arts and science was 3,86, standard deviation was 0,37; the average of the answers of teachers from faculties of technical education was 3,68, standard deviation was 0,41, the average of the answers of teachers from the other faculties was 3,69, standard deviation was 0,47. The result of the one-way anova test applied to average scores was found as 2,743. According to this value involved, the distinction between the groups was meaningfulin the level of .05. According to the results of the Tukey HSD test, conducted in order to determine in which groups the distinction between groups is, the opinions of the teachers studying in the faculties of education and from arts and sciences about concept maps were found more positive than those of teachers studying in the faculties of technical education and the other faculties.
In terms of the variable “When did you last hear concept map?”, the average of the answers of teachers who first heard ‘concept map’ when they started the faculty was calculated as 3,76, standard deviation was 0,37; the average of the answers of teachers who first heard when they graduate was calculated as 3,98, standard deviation was calculated as 0,40; the average of the answers of teachers who first heard when they were studying for Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) was calculated as3,62, standard deviation was calculated as 0,43; the average of the answers of teachers who heard more recently was calculated as 3,82, standard deviation was calculated as 0,08. The result of the one-way anova test applied to average scores was found as 1,564.According to this value involved, the distinction between the groups was meaningless in the level of .05.
Conclusions and Suggestions
When the answers teachers gave for the survey was analysed in general, students’ level of supporting the statements correspond to the range of “agree” with an average of 3,78. This result suggests that teachers’ opinions about the usage and benefits of concept maps are generally positive.When we look at the results obtained from teachers’ answers for the survey in terms of sub-goals, no meaningful distinction was observed over teachers’ opinions about the usage of concept maps in terms of the variables of sexuality and “when did you first hear‘concept map’?” However, when we examine in terms of the variable of which faculty they graduated from, the opinions of the teachers studying in the faculties of education and from arts and sciences about concept maps were found more positive than those of teachers studying in the faculties of technical education and the other faculties. This situation indicates that it is expected that teachers should be more aware of the areas of usage of concept maps whether they studied in faculties of education or they took pedagogical formation education after graduating from faculties of arts and sciences. The people who graduated from faculties of technical education or others such as Faculty of Theology can be considered to encounter concept maps during vocational stage rather than during the process of education.
In this research, it has been determined that teachers use concept maps mostly in presenting the subject as a whole, in forming associations between concepts, and ineliminating concept errors and that they strongly agree it will be beneficial. It is essential that concepts be presented by forming associations and as a whole in order to provide permanent and meaningful learning.
Teachers use concept maps in classes as well as they use them for various other purposes. The fact that students encounter useful methods or instruments such as concept maps in every lesson will make them perceive easier and increase their success. Thus, this research has shown that teacher hold a belief that students will be more successful when concept maps are included in lessons.
Suggestions:
• Teachers’ awareness should be increased both in their faculty and during pedagogical formation education process in order to use concept maps.
• Informational studies can be conducted for regular teachers during in-service trainings.
• Teacher should encourage their students to use concept maps in order to make them feel that concept maps are beneficial.
• Teachers’ use of materials other than concept maps which provide meaningful and permanent learning should be supported.
• Teachers should be encouraged to include some alternative (complementary) cases like concept maps instead of traditional exams
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Abstract (Original Language):
Kavram haritaları bilgiyi görsel olarak organize eden, bağlantılar kurarak kavramları yansıtmaya yarayan, kavram ve kavramlar arasındaki bilişsel bağlantıları görsel olarak gösteren iki boyutlu şemalar olarak bilinmektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, öğretmenlerin bazı değişkenler açısından (okuduğu fakülte, cinsiyet, kavram haritasını ilk ne zaman duydunuz?) kavram haritasının kullanım alanlarına yönelik görüşlerinin değişip değişmediğini belirlemektir. Araştırmanın örneklemi Isparta il merkezinde görev yapan 102 öğretmenden oluşmaktadır. Çalışmada veriler araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen 20 maddeden oluşan 5’li likert tipi bir anket ile toplanmıştır. Beş madde çıkarıldıktan sonra tekrar güvenirlik katsayısı hesaplanmış ve cronbach alpha değeri .72 olarak bulunmuştur. Ölçeğin yapı geçerliliğini belirlemek amacıyla ise faktör analizi yapılmıştır. Faktör analizi sonucunda faktör yükleri .45 - .84 arasında değişen 15 madde tespit edilmiştir. Araştırmada verilerin analizinde frekans, yüzdelik, aritmetik ortalama, t-testi ve one-wayanova testleri kullanılmıştır. Anketten elde edilen toplam puanlara göre yapılan veri analizinde; öğretmenlerin, cinsiyet ve kavram haritasını ilk ne zaman duyduğu gibi değişkenler açısından görüşleri arasında anlamlı bir fark çıkmamıştır. Ancak mezun olduğu fakültenin kavram haritası kullanımına yönelik farkındalık düzeyini etkilediği sonucuna varılmıştır. Öğretmenlerin verdiği cevaplarda kavram haritalarını daha çok bütünlük ve ilişkilendirme amacıyla kullandıkları ve bunun da başarıya katkı sağladığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca araştırma, öğretmenlerin kavram haritasına derslerde yer verilmesinin öğrencinin başarısını artıracağına dair inanca da sahip olduklarını göstermiştir.
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