Concept Mapping As A Learning Tool For The Employment Relations Degree

Abstract

Concept mapping is a technique to represent relationships between concepts that can help students to improve their meaningful learning. Using the cognitive theories proposed by Ausubel (1968), concept maps can help instructors and students to enhance their logical thinking and study skills by revealing connections among concepts that can simplify all the new concepts that can be introduced in a subject during any subject classes of a semester. In this paper a study is made for the introduction of this technique in the subject Business Management Principles as part of the Employment Relations Degree. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of concept mapping on the learning acquired by the students. For this purpose we use data with the evolution of qualifications of students as the items that show how a planned way of introducing new concepts (relating with concepts that students already have) can be very useful in college teaching. Therefore this paper analyzes within a specific context the way in which concept maps are constructed to reflect students knowledge and facilitate their sense-making and improve their meaningful learning.