Nanotechnology, novel and multidisciplinary knowledge, has emerged in
the engineering education of universities, and increased students’ difficulties in
understanding and learning it. Concept mapping as a metacognitive tool may be
appropriate for students to learn nanotechnology because previous research has
confirmed that this tool helps students learn disciplines like chemistry, physics,
biology and materials science. The current study used both quantitative and
qualitative survey data to examine whether concept mapping as a metacognitive tool
helps students learn nanotechnology, and to investigate the correlation between the
students’ perceptions of concept mapping and their metacognition ability. The
quantitative data consisted of 42 five-point Likert scale questions measuring
students’ perceptions of concept mapping and metacognition abilities with high
reliability of the measurement. The qualitative data involved in-depth and semistructured
interviews to explore more detailed students’ experience and perceptions
in terms of how and why. The findings show that there is a significant positive
relationship between students’ positive evaluation of concept mapping and their
metacognition. Students agreed that concept mapping was helpful in generating and
clarifying the key concepts of nanotechnology, beneficial to guide the topic concept,
and forming a more systematic knowledge structure through integrating prior
knowledge and new knowledge. During the learning process of concept mapping,
learners adopted a great quantity of metacognition behavior to examine and reflect
the self-developed knowledge structure. The study concluded that concept mapping
as a metacognitive tool was able to facilitate students to achieve high-level
performance in the learning of nanometer knowledge. Future studies should further
explore the interrelationships among concept mapping, metacognitive and knowledge
transfer.
關聯:
Joint International IGIP-SEFI Annual Conference 2010, 19th - 22nd September 2010, Trnava, Slovakia
