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Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject

Conference Paper in Lecture Notes in Computer Science · November 2013

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-02958-0_62

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 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach
in Teaching History Subject

Siti Salwa Salleh and Rashedah Ismail

Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University Technology MARA,

Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
ssalwa@tmsk.uitm.edu.my

Abstract. Concept map is a technique that arranges knowledge in a form of

connected nodes. In our hypothesis, applying a concept map approach in
teaching and learning History as a courseware can improve students’
understanding and cognitive development. Therefore, we developed a
courseware to complement the text book and were distributed to students in a
Secondary School. For the purpose of this study, an experimental assessment
was conducted among students where twenty students responded and went
through the courseware assessment session. They filled in a form which was
purposely designed to assess the effectiveness of the concept map instructional
delivery and learner-friendliness of the design interface. In particular, the study
looked at the effectiveness of a simulated learning experience, interface design
as well as the technical aspects of the courseware. The findings from the study
suggested that, in general, an implementation of concept map has been effective
and useful. The outcome of the study concluded that concept map is one of the
promising methods that can be effectively used to teach history in secondary
students.

Keywords: concept map, concept of knowledge, teaching and learning,

visualization, history subject.

1 Introduction
Visualizing knowledge is an approach where a subject with non-visual content is
represented by graphics, diagrams or other readable/recognizable forms [1]. These
visuals can be illustrated either two dimensionally (2D) or three dimensionally (3D).
One of the popular techniques that can be used to visualize knowledge is by adopting
a concept map approach.
Concept map is an easily understood tool [2]. It is a technique where concepts of
knowledge are presented by graphical display that facilitates knowledge management
and exchange. This also helps to personalize the learning process [3].
The concept map has become a useful instrument for teachers to aid student in
understanding various subjects as it combines scientific rigidity with simplicity and
flexibility. It also assists those who intend to generate, transmit, store and spread
information and knowledge [3]. Alhberg [4] mentioned that teachers can monitor and
promote students’ learning and thinking through the use of concept maps.

H. Badioze Zaman et al. (Eds.): IVIC 2013, LNCS 8237, pp. 683–693, 2013.
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013
684 S.S. Salleh and R. Ismail

Having acknowledged the concept map’s capability of presenting knowledge, this

study aimed to investigate its effectiveness in a multimedia courseware. This
courseware offers modalities like interaction, animation, auditory and other features,
which are advantageous to a learning environment and knowledge representation.
This paper presents a summary of an experimental assessment process and findings
regarding the effectiveness of applying a concept map approach to a courseware. In
particular, it looks into the application of the tool in teaching History to secondary
school students under the Malaysian Curriculum.
Content wise, students’ learning styles are described in Section 2. Section 3
explains research motivation and Section 4 presents knowledge representation and
concept map. Section 5 describes research methodology and experimentation while
Section 6 presents the results and discussion.

2 Learning Styles

Conventional teaching can be passive as instructors transmit information in sequence

and textual forms. This teaching method, which is devoid of visualization, can hinder
students’ cognitive development. As shown in Table 1, students capture knowledge
either by auditory, visual or tactile-kinesthetic style[5]:

Table 1. Sensory Learning Styles

Modalities Descriptions
Auditory • Auditory type of learners prefer and focus more when learning using
voice over or sound.
• They prefer verbal instructions or verbal communication to assist
them in learning.
Visual • Visual type learner prefers to have visualized information which
combines text, graphical or images.
• Diagrams, charts and graph, blackboard are those valuable tools for
demonstration in their learning process.
• Global visual learners will process iconic (pictorial) information
before proceed reading the printed text.
• Analytic visual learners will process the printed word before iconic
(pictorial) information.
Tactile/ • Tactile-kinaesthetic learners remember best the learning content by
Kinaesthetic actively physical engagement.
• Kinaesthetic learners tend to have a good memorizing what they are
experience such as interaction with physical engagement, playing.
• The learners enjoy learning process by manipulating and touching,
such as drawing, touch on touch screen applications, tracing and
pointing, writing.
• They actively engage in the content through the movement and
focusing by hear and visual the information presented.
 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject 685

Cognitive development was the major focus in the courseware prototype design of
the present study. Under this prototype, visual modality approach that supported the
concept map approach is pointed in Table 2.

Table 2. Area of Cognitive

Area Description
Perception and • Visual representation of data example font, color and placement.
Attention • Information must easy to receive.
• Positioning information examples important information place in the
center for easiest perceive.

3 Research Motivation

Identifying appropriate lesson content was imperative to serve the purpose of the
present study. Hence, the History subject, which commonly requires effective
delivery methods, was chosen.
In the Malaysian curriculum, History is a core and compulsory subject for the first
three years of secondary schooling [6]. The subject is highly factual in nature. Despite
many inexperienced History teachers considering it as one of the easiest subjects to
teach [9], the truth has been contradictory. Sustaining students’ attention in a History
class has been a difficult process and this becomes a rising problem among school
teachers. Delivering definite facts is equally challenging, and yet to help students
understand that they are studying a scene in a great drama of human life. Moreover, it
is difficult to encourage student's imagination particularly when they are trying to
develop their reasoning skills and judgment.
According to Nor Azan and Wong [10], many students perceived History as a
difficult and boring subject as they had to memorize and understand facts, concepts,
dates and historical events. Specifically, the researchers found that 79% of secondary
students had problems memorizing facts when learning History. Teaching media in
the form of text books also caused students to lose interest, which further promoted
problems of learning History [7].
From the researcher’s viewpoint, the challenge of educating history is not only
shouldered by students, but by History’s teachers as well. History teachers are
compelled to make their teaching method creative and interesting to young
generations.
Following the factors mentioned above, this study attempted to apply the concept
map approach in teaching and learning History. In particular, it aimed:
a) To apply the concept map approach in teaching and learning module in the
multimedia prototype courseware; and b) To evaluate the courseware’s effectiveness
and usability.
686 S.S. Salleh and R. Ismail

4 Knowledge Representation and Concept Map

4.1 Knowledge Representation

Knowledge is a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject which consists of
relationships between information and facts [8]. It is commonly represented by
symbols to facilitate inference from the knowledge elements before creating new ones
[9]. Therefore, the representation of knowledge must be in the form understandable
by humans [9].

4.2 Concept Map as Knowledge Representation Tool

Concept map is a graphical tool that enables human to express their knowledge in a
form easily understood by others [2]. It offers a framework for capturing experts’
internal knowledge and making it explicit in a visual, graphical form that can be
easily examined and shared [3]. With regards to artificial intelligence, the concept
map is known as Semantic Networks that attempts to reproduce cognition [9].
According to Canas et al. [2], concept maps are usually presented in boxes or circles,
which represent the concept of certain subject matter. All boxes or circles are
connected by directed arcs, which encode brief relationships between them. These
relationships usually consist of verbs, forming proposition or a certain conceptual
phrase [2].
Canas et al. also mentioned that the structure of a concept map is dependent on its
context. Consequently, maps having similar concepts can vary from one context to
another and are highly idiosyncratic [2]. The strength of a concept map hinges on its
ability to measure a person’s knowledge on a given topic within a specific context [2].
Therefore, concept maps constructed by different persons on the same topic may not
be similar, as each depicts its creator’s personal knowledge [2]. To further elaborate
the tool, the concept map’s characteristics are simplified in Table 3 [3].

Table 3. Concept Map Characteristics

Characteristic Description
• General concepts are presented at the top, specific concepts at the
Hierarchical bottom.
structure • The root node is a good representative of the topic.
• Every two concepts with their linking phrase. Short as possible,
Proposition possibly single words. Forms a ‘unit of meaning’. Provides semantics to
the relationship between concepts.

• Present particular domain of knowledge.

Context • All concepts and propositions are to be interpreted within a context.

Fig. 1 shows the characteristics of a concept map. The structure is arranged

hierarchically with general knowledge at the top and specific knowledge at the
bottom. Inclusive concepts are found at the highest levels, and progress downwards to
a more specific, less inclusive ones.
 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject 687

Graph
H
i
e Concept
r Is form by
a
has
r
c
h
i Vertex Edge
c
a
l

s Roads Circles
t
r Can be Can be
u
c
t Proposition
u
r
e Isolated Adjoining Parallel Curl

Fig. 1. Characteristics of concept maps [6]

According to Farrand et al. as stated by Alhberg [4], mind mapping helps a little,
but significant factual recall of memory. This recall of facts is one of the main points
stressed by Buzan in his book. The downside of mind mapping is that it does not
represent precise presentation of facts, as it merely mentions and hits [4].

4.3 Related Researches: Concept Maps Technique

Few researches were conducted to investigate the concept map’s effectiveness and
usability. Espinosa et al. [3] for instance, have presented a new approach to elaborate
the Intelligent Teaching-Learning Systems that combined a concept map with case-
based reasoning to elaborate the intelligent teaching-learning system. This model was
implemented in a computational system, and was later applied successfully in a
teaching-learning process of Computer Science.
The systems were created with particular features. Few of its nodes appeared as
questionnaire through the interface, and they were capable of getting a cognitive and
affective state from student as well as able to guide user’s navigation.
Another researcher, Jeng [11], has developed a Computer-Based Customizable
Self-Contained Concept Map for Taiwanese History Education. This interactive
learning environment has allowed users to customize both the degree of complexity
and the selection of needed concepts to best fit their individual teaching and learning
needs [11]. Jeng particularly developed an interactive concept map which linked high
school history instruction to the digitized historical materials.
Another research undertaken by Emilio and Artacho [12] concerned the use of
collaborative concept maps for coordination and knowledge-sharing in learning
688 S.S. Salleh and R. Ismail

communities for science subject. They explored the potential of reusing the learning
output within the virtual community both as a knowledge-building process and as
learning object itself. Ultimately, they formed a family of tools to generate
collaborative concept maps when teaching practical Science.

5 Methodology

To fulfill the research aims, an application prototype consisting of two modules i.e.
teaching and learning was developed. This prototype followed the ADDIE model
approach, which involved five major phases: analysis, design, development,
implementation and evaluation.
Three chapters of Secondary School History Curriculum were covered in the
courseware. A first time user would use the courseware in a sequence manner. After
completing the teaching module, users then proceeded with the quizzes, which were
represented in the form of Concept Maps. Users were facilitated with features like
‘drag and drop’ in order to choose the correct answer. The concept map approach
designed in the courseware was replicated from that of Espinosa et al.’s [3].
Generally, it presented a form of hierarchical structure as shown is Figure 1.
As mentioned earlier, the structure of multimedia objects were arranged in a
hierarchical form with general knowledge positioned at the top. The horizontal axis
expresses this structure in hierarchical flow. The following Figure 2 shows how the
concept is applied in the prototype courseware.
In the learning module (see Fig. 3), the quizzes applied similar concept and design.
To add to the interactivity, users were required to drag and drop an object to answer a
question.

Subtopic title

Context in
hierarchical
structure

Fig. 2. Concept Map Structure in Teaching Module

 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject 689

Possible
answers
were provided

Questionaire
Hyperlink words
is provided

Fig. 3. Concept Map Structure in Learning Module (Quiz)

6 Result and Discussion

An experiment was conducted to measure the concept map’s effectiveness and

usability. 40 respondents participated in the experiment. They were divided randomly
into two groups. The control group was made up of 12 boys and 8 girls. The
experimental group was made up of the remaining 20 students which consisted of 10
boys and 10 girls. All respondents were 14-year-old students selected from one of the
secondary schools in Malaysia.

6.1 Effectiveness Evaluation

According to Rogers et al. [13], effectiveness is defined by how good a product is at

delivering what it claims to do. Based on this definition, identifying the goal of a
particular subject is the first step to evaluate effectiveness. Within the education
context, the prototype application or other aided learning tools are intended to
enhance students’ understanding as well as their performance in a particular subject
[14]. Therefore, an application is considered effective when it can produce students’
good results [14]. This outcome can be evaluated by comparing students’ scores
before and after using the prototype application [13].
The two groups were labelled as group A and B. Group A stood as Control Group
while Group B stood as Experimental Group. Respondents from both groups attended
the tests individually.
Two sets of multiple choice questions were used as instruments in both pre-test and
post-test to obtain students’ comparative score values. The same questions were used
in both tests, but were ordered differently. In order to control students’ memorization
or experience during pre-test, similar questions were designed with different response
order [16]. Figure 4 shows the average test scores obtained by the students for pre-test
and post-test.
690 S.S. Salleh and R. Ismail

100.00
85%
80.00 69%
53% 61%
60.00 Test Score (%)

Average Score
Pre-test
40.00
20.00 Test Score (%)
Post-test
0.00
Control (A) Experimental (B) Group

Fig. 4. Average score between control and experimental group

Table 4 shows the pre-test results obtained by the students. This data was used to
obtain students’ baseline performance before the process of teaching and learning
History subject.

Table 4. Pre-test Analysis

No of
Group Student Mean Std Dev t P-value
Control (A) 20 53.33 12.54
Experimental(B) 20 14.72 - 0.25
60.83 1.23

In general, both groups of students had the same level of understanding on the
selected chapter of History subject. This was evident from the mean score difference
(7.50) between Group A and Group B. From the data, the value of P is 0.25 which
was greater than 0.05 (P > 0.05). Therefore, there was no significant difference in the
mean scores of pre-test for both groups.
The post-test data is shown in Table 5. The result was obtained after both groups
involved in the learning process. Group A went through the learning process by
adopting the conventional method (textbook and notes). Group B went through the
process by using the prototype courseware.

Table 5. Post-Test Analysis

No of Std dev
Group Student Mean t P-value
Control ( A) 20 69.17 11.81
Experimental (B) 20 85.00 15.11 - 0.03
2.61

In post-test, Group A scored comparatively lower (mean 69.16) compared to group

B (mean 85.00). The value of P is 0.03, which is less than 0.05 (P < 0.05). This is
considered to be statistically significant. It indicated that there were some
improvements in the students’ performance after using the multimedia prototype
application. This led to the conclusion that the prototype courseware using the
concept maps have been effective in improving the teaching and learning process of
the History subject.
 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject 691

6.2 Usability Evaluation

A five-point Likert Scale questionnaire was adopted, where each response to a

question received a value from one to five. A score of 1 indicated the statement as
least favorable while a score of 5 indicated it as most favorable. Each student from the
experimental group filled in the questionnaire individually.
Several criteria were evaluated pertaining to students’ perception towards
multimedia prototype application (interface design, sound, interactivity, animation,
content and general perception). 4 out of 6 scored a mean value above 4.0 except for
the interface design and the animation criteria. This means that all criteria were
acceptable as they scored above 3.0. Conclusively, students gave a positive perception
toward the new Concept Map approach.

4.50
4.40
4.30
Mean

4.20
4.10
4.00
3.90
3.80
3.70
Interface Sound Interactivity Animation Content General
Design

Criteria

Fig. 5. Perception towards the prototype courseware

Criteria evaluated pertaining to students’ perception towards the concept map

included their understanding, interest, difficulty and general perception. It showed
that only difficulty criteria scored a mean value lower than 4.0. This indicated that all
criteria were acceptable since they all scored a mean above 3.0. Hence, students
appeared positive in their perception towards the concept map approach.
Several criteria were adopted to evaluate the concept map approach: expression,
time taken, association and categorization. The association and the categorization
criteria were tested because they were the essential skills in building concept maps.
The mean value for time taken criterion is 2.65, which was lower than 3.0. This
indicated that students took time to understand and answer the question. The small
standard deviation also indicated that all students had the same standard behaviors.
The ‘expressions’ criterion scored a mean value of 3.15, indicating that it was
accepted. From a general viewpoint, the criterion ‘time taken’ scored lower than other
criteria because the students took some time to understand and answer the question,
despite having possessed association and categorization skills necessary for building
concept maps. In conclusion, students reacted positively to the concept map
approach.
692 S.S. Salleh and R. Ismail

5.00
4.00
3.00
Mean
2.00
1.00
0.00
Expression Time taken Association Categorization
Criteria

Fig. 6. Direct observation

The pre-test, post-test and usability evaluation (questionnaires and direct

observation) showed that courseware prototype that was supported by some
modalities e.g. visual, auditory and tactile, have enhanced the teaching and learning
process effectively. It has also gained positive perception and observation from the
respondents.
Integrating the concept map with multimedia has created a new environment for
teaching and learning History. Using this multimedia prototype courseware has
allowed the respondents to participate actively in learning the subject since it was
supported by minimal textual objects. The respondents were able to develop a
structural flow of events that consisted of certain detailed understanding of historical
events. Thus, the concept map was considered successful in presenting history facts
in a visual form that could easily be applied by respondents in a computer-based
application. The tool has evidently outperformed the conventional approach.

7 Conclusion

Teaching and learning History is not simple, thus, including multimedia such as
concept maps is necessary to increase students’ performance significantly. Results
from the post-test showed that students who used the prototype courseware scored
higher than those who learned by conventional means. This indirectly reflected the
effectiveness of the prototype courseware for educational purposes. In addition, the
usability of the multimedia prototype application was also found to yield positive
perception and observation. This research concluded that applying the concept map
approach has been effective in improving students’ performance and understanding.
Overall, this study contributed much to the understanding that some parts of
multimedia and knowledge representation techniques applied in multimedia prototype
application are able to make a significant difference in students’ cognitive
development.

Acknowledgment. This research is sponsored by faculty internal grant of University

Technology MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
 Effectiveness of Concept Map Approach in Teaching History Subject 693

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