2006/09/01 by John C. Nesbit, Olusola Adesope · 2 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Educational Strategies and Epistemologies #Science Education and Pedagogy #Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
paper · doi:10.3102/00346543076003413
openalex publication_date 2006/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
This meta-analysis reviews experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which students learned by constructing, modifying, or viewing node-link diagrams. Following an exhaustive search for studies meeting specified design criteria, 67 standardized mean difference effect sizes were extracted from 55 studies involving 5,818 participants. Students at levels ranging from Grade 4 to postsecondary used concept maps to learn in domains such as science, psychology, statistics, and nursing. Posttests measured recall and transfer. Across several instructional conditions, settings, and methodological features, the use of concept maps was associated with increased knowledge retention. Mean effect sizes varied from small to large depending on how concept maps were used and on the type of comparison treatment. Significant heterogeneity was found in most subsets.