Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

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What is Concept Mapping?

Concept Mapping is a technique of arranging major concepts from a text or lecture into a visual structure. The objective is to reveal or highlight the relationships between major concepts. Whether you’re using tables, charts, graphs, circle diagrams, or outlines, etc. the lines or connections that you make between associated concepts and relationships can reveal subtle relationships.

1) Choose a Research Topic 2) Map / Outline the Important Concepts 3) Create a Controlling Statement 4) Examples of Controlling Statements 5) Isolate Major Concepts 6) More Examples of Concept Identification 7) Generate Keywords from your Concepts 8) Examples of Keyword Lists

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

1) Choose a Research Topic Choosing a research subject can be a creative process of selecting or devising a point of inquiry. Your prior knowledge of your chosen research subject is important. It matters less how much or how little you know of a subject. Rather, what is more important is that you assess what you already know.

HINT: If you’re having problems settling on a research topic? Then focus on something to which you react strongly or with which you disagree. This creates an opportunity for you to have lots to say or ask.

Using what you already know of a subject provides a framework to structure your ongoing research your subject of concern. Before you actually begin your research, take what you already know of something and use that to ask basic questions and establish known facts:

Using . . . . • What are the basic facts and information of which you are aware? • What are your assumptions, or presumptions, that might inform and influence your research?

This is the real beginning of research. Brainstorming begins with assessing what you already know of something.

2) Map / Outline the Important Concepts

(A) Brainstorm on the general topic List all the concepts and themes that are related to your research topic. Keep the concepts as concise as possible.

• Can you group the concepts into a quick chart or set of tables?

• What obvious relationships and connections do you see? (B) Examine potential relationships Essentially, this is your chance to doodle! Use unlined paper and write the main subject in the center of the page. Then arrange the other concepts / issues that you think are related on the same page. Examine the organizational patterns you’ve created:

• Do the pieces/concepts fit together and make sense?

• Do your need to restructure the map?

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

• Is any information / knowledge missing?

3) Create a Controlling Statement

(A) Try to create a clear controlling statement about your research topic Think of a problem, a question, a hypothesis or a thesis statement that best outlines the subject which you wish to research. And if you can make sure that it is a complete sentence, or at least a complete thought.

REMEMBER: This statement does not have to be polished when you first start. As you conduct your research you can improve and focus it to account for what you learn.

(B) The Future Importance of your controlling statement! Having a clear and focused controlling statement for your research paper is crucial. Think of this controlling statement as your ultimate destination on a summer road trip. It is your statement of intention about where you wish to arrive. The grade that you receive on your paper is then a reflection on how far you got to that destination:

• The LARGER and more AMBIGUOUS your controlling statement, then the LONGER and HARDER it is to get to your destination;

• The more FOCUSED and NARROW your controlling statement is, then the EASIER it is to get to your destination.

Your controlling statement is a statement of accountability!

Examples Thesis Statements:

• The vampire in literature not only exploits cultural anxieties about difference and morality, but it also reveals changing attitudes about gender and sexuality.

• Starring primarily in patrician roles, as Ben Cartwright and then Commander Adama, actor Lorne Greene spearheaded a subversive Canadian infiltration of American popular culture that eventually led to the first wave of the reactionary "Blame Canada" movement. Questions:

• What are the factors in common between military structure and industrial organization in the early periods of the Industrial Revolution?

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

• In what way is workplace violence / aggression related to a negative work environment factors such as verbal abuse, ridicule, or racial discrimination?.

4) Isolate Major Concepts

Visually Identify the major concepts Begin by identifying the key concepts and keywords in Can your controlling statement. You can use colors, charts, tables, just as long as you’ve identified and clearly understand the key concepts. This will help prepare you for the final step in concept mapping your research. For instance, the first example in the last step was:

• The vampire in literature not only exploits cultural anxieties about difference and morality, but it also reveals changing attitudes about gender and sexuality Using colors to identify each concept the statement then looks like:

• The vampire in literature not only exploits cultural anxieties about difference and morality, but it also reveals changing attitudes about gender and sexuality. You can do the same type of concept identification using underlining, highlighting, or your own special methods.

Examples

NOTE: The words that separate each concept (and, or, not) are Boolean operators. To find out more about using Boolean operators go to Research Methods 3: Structuring Your Research Queries.

• The vampire in literature not only exploits cultural anxieties about difference and morality, but it also reveals changing attitudes about gender and sexuality.

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / vampire in literature cultural anxieties morality sexuality NOT NOT NOT

• What are the factors in common between military structure and industrial organization in the early periods of the Industrial Revolution?

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / factors in common military structure industrial industrial revolution NOT NOT NOT organization

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / Lorne Greene Canadian infiltration popular culture “Blame Canada” NOT NOT NOT

• In what way is workplace violence / aggression related to a negative work environment factors such as verbal abuse, ridicule, or racial discrimination?

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / workplace violence / negative factors NOT NOT NOT aggression environment

5) Generate Keywords from your Concepts

(A) Generate a list of keywords Using the concepts that you identified in the last step, continue to add related keywords for each. List the keywords or phrases that may be useful to you when researching your topic (Be sure to include possible synonyms that will help expand your search).

REMMEBER: date ranges, geographic names, proper names, professional terminology, names of events can all be important keywords.

(B) Using Reference Resources Are you having problems thinking of new keywords for the concepts you’ve identified? Use resources from the Library’s Reference Collection (dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, handbooks, directories, biographical and statistical sources, etc.). You can use these tools to:

• Check your facts and concepts!

o Are you sure that you clearly understand the controlling statement that you’ve created and the concepts that it contains? Are there any facts that need checking?

o Are there any concepts that might need clarification? • Find & generate better keywords and synonyms – Once you’ve started your list you can use reference resources to add to your keyword list.

o Are you sure that the keywords you’re coming up with are the same as those used by researchers, specialists and professionals in the subject area that your research topic covers?

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

o What are the conceptual terms in current use in the subject area in which you’re doing your research?

For more help on using reference resources go to Research Methods 2: Using Reference Resources.

Examples

• The vampire in literature not only exploits cultural anxieties about difference and morality, but it also reveals changing attitudes about gender and sexuality.

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / cultural anxieties morality sexuality vampire in literature NOT NOT NOT demon angst ethics sensuality animated corpse apprehension virtue reproduction windigo unease principles gender extortionist foreboding mores fornication

• What are the factors in common between military structure and industrial organization in the early periods of the Industrial Revolution?

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / military structure industrial industrial revolution factors in common NOT NOT NOT organization influence military socioeconomic organization strategic behavior change affect military unit formation cultural change cause hierarchy organization of technological conflict labour change

military formation

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / Canadian infiltration popular culture “Blame Canada” Lorne Greene NOT NOT NOT Canadian actors cultural invasion pop culture South Park Canadian infiltration popular media scapegoating Personalities cultural transmission low culture cultural change

• In what way is workplace violence / aggression related to a negative work environment factors such as verbal abuse, ridicule, or racial discrimination?

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Research Tutorial 01: Concept Mapping

AND / AND / AND / Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D OR / OR / OR / violence / negative factors workplace NOT NOT NOT aggression environment institution verbal abuse coercion detrimental office ridicule antagonism surroundings organization racism hostility intolerance plant sexism cruelty prejudice aggression adverse atmosphere

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