237

Using Vee and Concept Maps in Collaborative Settings:

Elementary Education Majors Construct Meaning in Physical
Science Courses
Wolff-Michael Roth Faculty of Education
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Canada

Anita Roychoudhury Miami University

1601 Peck Boulevard
Hamilton, Ohio 45011

Science laboratory activities are widely recognized for their construction of individual knowledge of their members in a
potential in helping students to constructmeaningful knowledge. variety of ways. When students are required to explain or
Most elementary science curricula developed during the 1960s, defend their viewpoints, they are more likely to construct a
such as Science A Process Approach (SAPA), Science deeper understanding because they have to evaluate, integrate,
Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS), and Elementary Science and elaborate their existing knowledge (Brown, Collins, &
Study (ESS), focused on laboratory activities; however, science Duguid, 1989; Hatano & Inagaki. 1987). In addition, learning
education research has brought forth evidence that inquiry in through cooperative problem solving gives rise synergistically
the laboratory is not taught effectively and that many teachers to insights and solutions that would not come about without
abandoned this mode of teaching (Costenson & Lawson, 1986; them, is apowerful motivator, and is apowerful mechanism for
Welch, Klopfer, Aikenhead, & Robinson, 1981). One reason is extending the learning resources both in cognitive and affective
that preservice elementary teachers have few opportunities to terms (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989). The affective
experience laboratory-based science content courses, for the benefits may arise particularly with preservice and inservice
dominant mode of delivery of college level scienceis expository elementary teachers as collaborative grouping is a widespread
teaching (Beyerbach & Smith, 1990; Tobin, 1990a). It is instructional method with children at the elementary level.
therefore unlikely for elementary teachers to be proficient in Inquiry-based laboratory activities also hold a great potential
teaching inquiry-based science. In order to be effective, they for "allowing students to learn with understanding and, at the
need to leam science content in a mode similar to that which same time, engage in a process of constructing knowledge by
their own students will use (Tilgner, 1990). Thus, activity- doing science" (Tobin, 1990a, p. 405). Constructivists such as
based courses should be used for teaching science content to Piaget hold that learning is a structuring process in which
preservice and inservice elementary teachers because effective "intelligence organizes the world by organizing itself’ (cited in
learning environments provide students with the opportunity to von Glasersfeld, 1987, p. 5). As a consequence, knowledge
physically interactwith instructional materials (Stepans, Dyche, derives from experience and is characterized by its fit with and
& Beiswenger. 1988; Wise & Okey, 1983). viability in the experiential world. This view of knowing has an
Discovery and inquiry methods in science teaching have important consequence for learning: it shifts the emphasis away
been abandoned by teachers because of the difficulties they from correct ways ofknowing to students’ attempts in structuring
perceived in the classrooms. The most often cited problems and restructuring their own experience as they engage, alone or
were inquiry-based courses are difficult to manage.cause with peers, with the natural world. The students’ construction
confusion in students, are too difficult for low and average of knowledge in the laboratory is facilitated when their learning
ability students, and have uncertain learning outcomes is structured by heuristics which help them to reflectboth on the
(Costenson & Lawson, 1986; Welch et aL, 1981). Recently. learning processes and the learning products. Two teaching-
social interactive teaching methods, such as collaborative learning heuristics that hold greatpotential for effective inquiry-
learning, have been cited for their potential to eliminate many based laboratory teaching experiences are concept mapping
of these problems (Brown & Palincsar, 1989; Sharan. 1980; and Vee mapping. These two heuristics emphasize meaningful
Slavin, 1983) and also show promise for other aspects of learning, are ideally suited for use in collaborative activity
learning (Brown, 1988). structures, and help students in learning how to learn (Novak &
Collaborative learning groups seem to support the Gowin, 1984).

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238
Concept Mapping attitudes toward learning of science in collaborative groups,
and (c) their knowledge of the process of learning science.
The technique of concept mapping was designed to represent
the relationships between concepts in a graphical way (Novak & Method
Gowin, 1984). Meaning is expressed; that is, a proposition is
formed by connecting two concepts with a line and by labelling The 27 students (23 female, 4 male) in this study were
this line with a linking word. When larger numbers of concepts enrolled in acourse ofphysics for elementary education majors
are connected, a map is formed which ideally represents Ac at a university in western Canada. Approximately 70% of the
content and structure of a student’s knowledge framework. students had already been teaching or had an undergraduate
Prepared by a group of students, concept maps can be viewed as degree in another subject. The course consisted almost
expressing the meaning shared by the team members. Of exclusively of collaborative small group investigations and
particular importance to the training of elementary education problem solving. The investigations centered around focus
majors are the research findings with respect to achievement, questions to which students sought answers experimentally.
affect, and gender. Concept mapping has been shown to have These activities were conducted by the students with minimal
positive effects on science achievement, to engage students in procedural guidance from theteacher. Students were responsible
extended science discourse, to reduce science anxiety, and to be for reading various sections of the course text. Conceptual
particularly effective with females (Jegede, Alaiyembola, & Physics (Hewitt, 1989), which were discussed in brief, whole-
Okebukola, 1990; Okebukola & Jegede, 1988; Roth & class interactions. During these discussions, the instructor
Roychoudhury, 1992; in press). used concept maps to summarize the key ideas of each of the
relevant chapters. At the beginning of the course, the students
Vee Mapping formed collaborative groups, most often without knowing their
new partners. Each of the nine groups ranged from two to four
The purpose ofthe Vee map is to assist students in unpacking members and stayed intact throughout the course.
the relationship between the conceptual and procedural aspects The students were introduced to conceptmapping following
of science (see Figure 1). This is achieved because the students, the routine recommended by Novak and Gowin (1984) for
while constructing the Vee, have to give explicit consideration students at the college level. From then on, the students used
to the research question,the events and objects under concept maps within their collaborative groups to summarize
investigation, the conceptual structure which underlies the textbook chapters as part of their homework, to express the
inquiry, the data recording and transforming procedures, and theoretical background of their laboratory experiments, and to
the knowledgeandvalueclaimsthatderive from the investigation represent their learning during these laboratory experiments as
(Novak, Gowin, & Johansen, 1983; Roth & Bowen, in press). It part of the Vee map (see Figure 2). In all three contexts, the
has been suggested that the heuristic of Vee mapping is not only students selected the concepts on their own.
useful in helping people to understandthe structure of knowledge Each group of students prepared one laboratory report in
and the process by which they construct this knowledge but that the form of a Vee map for each of the labs assigned; however,
it is also the more powerful of the two heuristics (Novak & students submitted for evaluation only four, so-called major,
Gowin, 1984; Novak, personal communication, February 14, laboratory reports. These labs were on the topics of acceleration
1991). of gravity, simple machines (pulleys),phases and phasechanges
of water, and simple circuits. As part of each report, all
Figure 1. Vee heuristic (Novak & Gowin, 1984). students submitted a reflection on the learning experience.
Figure 2 shows a partial Vee mapactual Vee maps ranged
CONCEPTUAL ,,Focus question
.._ METHODOLOGICAL from 8 through 15 type-written pagesrepresentative of the
Theory
r^njmg work submitted during the latter halfof the course. Each of the
collaborative groups received written feedback regarding the
Vee map, its content, and the process of learning as evidenced
Principles Transformations by the students’ reflections.
The Vee maps (which included concept maps) and the
Concepts student reflections served as primary data sources. To arrive at
an appropriate level of description, the researchers used an
Events
interpretive research methodology (Burrell & Morgan, 1985;
Erickson, 1986). The researchers independently analyzed the
The purpose of the present study was to investigate: (a) data to formulate tentative assertions. The initial assertions
elementary education majors’ use of the Vee heuristic and were then refined, modified, or discarded on the basis of further
concept mapping for the construction of knowledge, (b) their data analysis to arrive at the assertions presented here.

School Science and Mathematics

 Vee & Concept Maps

Figure 2. Partial Vee map as prepared by one group of students.

is .
sea-

Volume 93(5), May/June 1993

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240

Results and Discussion a range of topics as in the present case.

During the data analysis, two major dimensions emerged. Integration of Knowledge from Various Sources
The first dimension was cognitive in nature, characterized by
such questions as Were there any changes in the use of the As the course progressed, the students increasingly made
heuristics over time? and Did the heuristics reflect meaningful connections between the concepts at hand and everyday
understanding? The second dimension pertained to students’ phenomena. Toward the end, students included five and more
perceptions of their learning in the context provided. The practical applications, often with direct relevance to their own
research constructions are reported according to these two major lives such as "Pulley systems... can be used to lift loads [lower
dimensions which are entitled cognitive aspects of learning and than the operator] such as in a mine, winching vehicles out of
affective aspects of learning. the mud, rescue operations, lifting loads up on the roof, or out
of a hole..." or "Steam bums the body more than a bum caused
Cognitive Aspects of Learning by boiling water." Similar increases in the number of linkages
between science concepts to related concepts of societal relevant
In the analysis of the Vee maps, remarkable changes were issues had been noted recently (Starr & Krajcik, 1990).
found. These changes consisted in the students’ abilities to Initially, the lab reports showed little connections between
express their understanding in concept maps and in the students’ the students lab activity and the textbook. The students
ability to integrate their knowledge constructed in the laboratory reported what they had done and how they interpreted it. Later,
with that constructed during their everyday lives and while particularly beginning with lab 3 (heat and temperature),
reading the textbook. This section will address the changes in greater integration could be noted. The inclusion of ideas from
the concept maps, report on the integration of knowledge from the textbook occurred in either written form, as the students
various sources, and discuss the knowledge constructed during made their claims, orwas included in the conceptual framework
a laboratory as evidenced on a representative Vee map. for the experiment as expressed in the concept maps. After the
experiment on freezing and boiling of water, students claimed
Changes in Concept Maps that in ice, "molecules are joined together and cannot move
easily. The force between them binds them together" or "Add
The positive effect of Vee and concept mapping was most more heat and molecules move more quickly. Temperature is
apparent in the number of meaningful concepts which students increased until molecules are released by escaping.
related to the inquiry at hand. As the course progressed, the Evaporation." Since these concepts could not be observed in
number of background concepts listed on the Vee heuristic and the experiment, nor were they disseminated during a lecture,
included in the concept map nearly doubled for all groups (see students must have connected the lab experience with the
Figure 2). Most groups initially included from lOto 15concepts, relevant section in their text book. Overall, the Vee maps
while on their last maps they included 21 to 25 concepts. The showed an increasing integration of the students’ prior
groups that did not fall into this pattern went from 7 to 13, from knowledge, what they learned through experimenting in the
15 to 48, and from 12 to 60 concepts, respectively. The most classroom, and the views of standard science as expressed in
significant implication of this increase in the number of the textbook. This integration is well-illustrated by the Vee
background concepts were the changes in quality and quantity map reproduced in Figure 2.
of the propositions expressed by linked concepts. Initially, the
students’ concept maps included small numbers of concepts; A Representative Vee Map
they often omitted to label the links between pairs of concepts
such that the propositions were incomplete, and the students’ This Vee map, representative of student work during the
meaning nonrecoverable. With time, not only the number of second half of the course, was produced by a group of three
concepts increased but also the number of complete and students. It illustrates some striking accomplishment on the
meaningful linkages. This increased number of links is partially part of the students. First, the list of associated words and
due to the cross links students established between concepts concept map on the conceptual side of the Vee include a large
more distant in their constructions. An example of such a number of terms related to the three experiments from which
linkindicative of higher order learning (Novak & Gowin, this map was generated: (a) determination of the freezing
1984)-can be seen in Figure 2 in the proposition "Water must curve of water; (b) determination of heating and boiling curves;
increase temperature to change to water vapour." Such increases and (c) determination of the relative amount of energy that
in the number of concepts, the relative number of linkages, and went into the melting, heating from 0 to 100 degrees Celsius,
the quality of the concept hierarchy in the development of and evaporation. The concept map is highly elaborated with
elementary teachers hadbeen reported previously (Beyerbach & many valid linkages. It contains both the macroscopic
Smith, 1990; Starr & Krajcik, 1990). These improvements, description of phase changes ("Water can change state to gas,
however, were usually with a constant set of concepts, not over process is called evaporation") and molecular processes ("Hot

School Science and Mathematics

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241

plates quicken movement of water molecules causing heat"), This statement reflects the very core of research findings
and most importantly, it is organized around the concepts of about collaborative learning efforts. Peer interactions help
energy, heat, and temperature, the central concepts of this unit. learners to acknowledge and integrate a variety of perspectives
On the methodological (right hand) side of the Vee map, the on the same problem, and this process of coordination, in turn,
students not only listed data and plotted them but they also produces superior cognitive learning (Forman & Cazden, 1985).
described these graphs in their own words, a sign for students Many students also realized that their learning was facilitated
effort of attributing meaning to these representations of their when they had to elaborate their own view points, when they
experiments. The student-generated Vee map claims at various tried to explain their ideas, or when they had to defend their own
levels of complexity. These include simple observational positions, activities which lead to enhanced comprehension or
claims such as "Water changes to gas at 100C," more abstract deep understanding (Brown, 1988; Hatano & Inagaki, 1987).
claims such as "Changes of state require a transfer of energy," Thus, the following quote was characteristic of many students’
and claims pertaining to processes at the molecular level such comments:
as "If you add energy, you add motion to the rigid molecular
structure." The students extended their findings by connecting I find working in groups to be very beneficial. Getting
them to practical applications. These applications not only other people’s interpretations of the material is helpful,
related their new conceptual understanding developed in the plus if you can explain a concept to someone else and
course but potentially stabilizes this knowledge for a long time they understand it, then you know that you really do
in the future. To complete the Vee map, each student wrote a understand it as well.
reflection (see Figure 2). These reflections pertained to students’
own learning such as "I can not believe that I have lived so many The comment also emphasizes therole ofothers as feedback
years misunderstanding such a simple process as boiling water," for individual understanding. A listener’s understanding of a
to the use of Vee heuristic and concept maps such as "It isn’t concept was interpreted by the explaining individual as positive
always easy to know which should be the main concept," and to feedback regarding her own understanding. Forman and Cazden
applications in their own teaching such as "This experimentwas (1985) ascribed such benefits of peer collaboration to the fact
very simple and could be done easily with intermediate level that students can adopt reverse interactional roles of teacher and
children at the elementary school." student That is, learners take different perspectives on the
same intellectual content. Thus, peer collaborators have the
Affective Aspects of Learning opportunity to leam by asking questions as well as by answering
them.
In their reflections, the students addressed various aspects
related to teaching and learning. The students’ reflections are Vee Map and Concept Map for Meaningful Learning
discussed with respect to collaborative learning in peer groups,
using Vee map and concept map and for meaningful learning, The use of the Vee and concept maps helped students in
and students’ reflections on teaching. learning the concepts at hand. Students found that "Working
through the [Vee] helped pull things together as we discussed
Collaborative Learning the steps in doing the lab and what we had learned from it" and
that "Using the Vee map kept thoughts orderly and focused. A
The benefits of working in collaborative groups and using great way to think through a problem." This potential of the Vee
the Vee heuristic and concept maps as mediational tools for the map in helping students to order and relate the conceptual and
negotiation of meaning was experienced and expressed by 22 methodological aspects of an inquiry constitutes the very raison
students (81 %). The students realized that their own construction d’etre of the heuristic (Novak & Gowin, 1984). On the other
of knowledge was affected by the negotiations and the ensuing hand, through the concept mapping exercise, students learned
effort of integrating various viewpoints as expressed by one about their own lack of understanding and about the difficulties
student; in constructing meaningful framework. Thus, the comment,
"Working on the concept map was difficult because there were
Working in a group can sometimes be a challenge so many words and ideas and the lines just kept joining up with
because of each persons different interpretations, but so many others. It was difficult to connect these in a meaningful
it sure helps inputting different ideas into perspective. and organized way" was typical of many student comments and
Each person adds a vital part in the process of reflections, particularly in the early stages of the course. Students
answering questions because of the different also indicated that these problems were due to the fact that they
experiences in life and the different ways of did not understand the connections between the concepts, and
understanding. Also, group interaction allows that they had to study more to make up for this lack of
verbalization of results, which is very helpful. understanding. From a constructivist perspective, such

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dissatisfaction constitutes the first step toward conceptual change During many of the labs, students could be heard discussing
(Posner, Strike, Hewson, & Gertzog, 1982). As the course possible applications and uses of materials in their own
progressed, students "noted that the concept mapping [was] elementary classrooms. In other cases, students directly
getting a lot easier" and that they felt more confident in the use addressed theinstructorforsolutionstothe problems ofadapting
of concept maps. The noted increase in integration of prior experiments and materials for primary classrooms. Some of
knowledge, experiment, and canonical science knowledge as the comments also referred to the problem of teaching certain
expressed in the textbook was also addressed in some comments. concepts at the level of elementary school children. To the
In the words of one student, "[learning became easier because] teachers present in the class, the question of children’s language,
I find the more ways I can relate things, the better I can make their level of thinking, and scientific concepts was an overriding
sense ofthem" and" [concept mapping] kind of connected things concern in their reflections and conversations of the use of
together for me with respect to our experimenting with circuits." physics in the elementary school. Students expressed that
Novak and Gowin (1984) had indicated this potential of concept "This year when we do experiments within class I’ll be able to
mapping activities to discover new or different relationships relate to children more, from their perspective," "This lab has
between concepts. given me enough knowledge to explain the phenomena to the
The comments made it clear that the students extended their class in grade two language," and "I hope to take what I have
learning from the classroom to prior knowledge and to their learnedhere and make science more meaningful to the children
everyday lives. One reflection read: that I will teach in the future." Both preservice and inservice
elementary teachers appreciated the potential usefulness of the
It was easy for me to extend this understanding into learning tools they had used themselves. As one student felt
real life situationswhere I have watched my husband after reading "Learning how to leam" (Novak & Gowin, 1984):
pull an engine out of a car, uses a winch to pull us out
of the mudandwatch him use the high-ab at work to lift / was impressed with the [concept] maps that the
heavy loads off the back of a truck. Now I really elementary children were able to develop. I think that
understand how the pulley system works and why. if children were introduced to this way of learning
from an early age they would be more successful at
Other students related their classroom learning to their studying and comprehending what they learn.
hobbies (such as sailing); they related it to the work in the
kitchen (heat andelectricity); or they simply showed appreciation The experience of learning science in a group and its effect
for another profession such as when they commented on the on students’ attitude was mentioned repeatedly by the students.
complexities of electricity and the tasks of an electrician. There They commented that they hoped to be able to transfer their
were also six comments on the interaction between their prior own shift in science attitude to the classroom because "If a
knowledge and the new concepts. One student wrote that "When positive attitude exists . . . anything is possible." Others
you have to generate your own questions [in the lab] it makes concurred with the student who expressed her new-found
you draw from your own previous knowledge, things that you confidence, "I have developed a new understanding in the
don’trealizeyouknow^whileanotherreflectedon her conceptual world ofphysical science and hope that I can remove or prevent
change saying that "I used to think that heavier objects fell faster any fears my students may incur in the oncoming years."
than lighter ones but now I know otherwise and I have some Of particular importance to teachers are the realizations
understanding of why." These students, then, seemed to be with respect to teaching and learning. The following comment
involved in true learning, which Tobin (1990b) defined as "the generated a whole-class discussion, helping many of the
construction of knowledge as sensory data are given meaning in preservice and inservice teachers reflect on the importance of
terms of prior knowledge" (p. 404). experience oriented science teaching at the elementary school.
After five hours of experiments with electrical circuits, the
Students’ Reflections on Teaching student wrote:

Especially toward the end of the course, the students I found the concepts harder to understand... I think
increasingly made comments relating to their own teaching. a factor in this may be the lack of visual confirmation
Some of them thought about the use of specific labs and of what is happening ... Although you can see the
procedures with their students. For example, one comment read: light bulbs light and go dim, you can’t actually see the
current moving. But in the change of state lab you
This would be an interesting experiment to develop for could see the liquid change to a solid (ice) and then to
use in the primary classroom. The main problem a gas (steam). This made the connection between
would be in working with a heat sourceelementary theories and outcome quite clear. This type of
children and teachers (me) aren’t too safe around hot connection was missing in this lab as you don’t see the
flames but perhaps a safer hotplate could be used. current actually moving.

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Conclusions concept mapping program to assess preservice teachers’

thinking about effective teaching. Journal of Research in
The present study showed thatthe construction of knowledge Science Teaching, 27(10), 961-971.
was enhanced when elementary education majors worked in Brown, A. L. (1988). Motivation to leam and understand: On
collaborative groups through physics activities by using Vee taking charge of one’s own learning. Cognition and
and concept mapping strategies. The present findings provided Instruction, 5(4), 311-321.
evidence that both Vee and concept mapping activities are Brown, A. L., & Palincsar, A. S. (1989) Guided, cooperative
instructional techniques which are not only compatible with learning and individual knowledge acquisition. In L. B.
constructivism but also emphasize the constructive aspects of Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning, and instruction: Essays
learning: (a) students constructed and/or reconstructed their in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 393-451). Hillsdale, NJ:
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the laboratory which they consciously integrated to their prior cognition and the culture of learning. Educational
knowledge. The use of Vee and concept maps also helped Researcher, 52(1), 32-42.
students to reflect on the process of learning and teaching Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (1985). Social paradigms and
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Erickson,F.(1986). Qualitative research on teaching. InM.C.
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elementary teachers to teach science. At most colleges and perspectives in education. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), Culture
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Wise, K. C., & Okey, J. R. (1983). A meta analysis of the effect Copyright 1990
of various science teaching strategies on achievement. Price $12.50 (prepayment required, postage included)
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