Concept Maps: a Theoretical Note on Concepts and the Need for Cyclic Concept Maps
Concept Maps: A Theoretical Note on Concepts and the Need for Cyclic Concept Maps Frank Safayeni Natalia Derbentseva Department of Management Sciences University of Waterloo 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 {Fsafayeni, nderbent}@engmail.uwaterloo.ca Alberto J. Cañas Institute for Human & Machine Cognition 40 South Alcaniz St., Pensacola, FL USA www.ihmc.us Abstract This paper, theoretically, examines concepts, propositions, and establishes the need for and develops an extension to Concept Maps (CMaps) called Cyclic Concept Maps (Cyclic CMaps). The Cyclic CMap is considered to be an appropriate tool for representing knowledge of functional or dynamic relationships between concepts. The Concept Map (CMap), on the other hand, is viewed as an appropriate tool for representing hierarchical or static knowledge. The two maps complement each other and collectively they capture a larger domain of knowledge, thus forming a more effective knowledge representation tool. - 1 - Introduction Concept Maps (CMaps) are used around the world by educators and researchers alike. The Journal of Research in Science Teaching alone has published numerous articles on CMaps during the last 15 years, including a special issue dedicated to the topic. Researchers have been interested in CMaps as a knowledge representation tool for instruction (Edmondson, 1995, Ferry et al., 1998, Horton et al., 1993), learning (Chmeilewski and Dansereau, 1998; McCagg, 1991), and evaluation (Aidman and Egan, 1998; Rice et al., 1998). The present work was motivated, in part, by noting the paradox of CMaps. That is, a Concept Map is supposed to represent knowledge, but it is not able to represent one of our highest forms of knowledge, as in the laws of physics, which are expressed in mathematical equations.
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