thesis about concept mapping

6 ways to use concept mapping in your research

Joseph Novak developed concept mapping in the 1970s and ever since, it has been used to present the construction of knowledge. A concept map is a great way to present all the moving parts of your research project in one visually appealing figure. I recommend using this technique when you start thinking about your new research topic all the way through to the end product, and once you submitted your thesis, dissertation or research article, you can use concept mapping to plan your next project. If you prefer to watch the video explaining the 6 steps, scroll down.

What is the purpose of concept mapping?

You may wonder what the purpose of a concept map is. A concept map shows the different “ideas” which form part of your research project, as well as the relationships between them. A concept map is a visual presentation of concepts as shapes, circles, ovals, triangles or rectangles, and the relationships between these concepts are presented by arrows. Your concept map will show the concept in words inside a shape, and the relationship is then presented in words next to each arrow, so that each branch reads like a sentence. What is the difference between a mind map and a concept map? A mind map is different from a concept map in that a mind map puts much less emphasis on the relationship between concepts.

How to use a concept map in your research

Don’t wait to put your concept map together until only after you have, what you consider, “all the knowledge” and have read “all the literature” (anyway, with two million research articles published each year, will that day ever come?). In the very early stages, when you start thinking about your research project, draw your concept map to get your thoughts organised. Then, as you become more and more abreast with the research out there, modify your concept map.

The process of creating a concept map is an iterative one and you will find that it feels like you have drawn and redrawn the map over and over so many times that you wonder if you are ever going to get to a final version. This process in itself is a learning experience and is vital to sort the concepts out for yourself. If you have clarity in your own head, it is easier to explain what your research is all about to someone else. In addition, including a concept map into a dissertation, thesis, or research article (where relevant) makes it easier for the reader (including the examiner or reviewer) to understand what your research project is all about. There are several instances in your research journey where a concept map will come in handy.

#1 Use a concept map to brainstorm your research topic

When you are conceptualising your research topic, create a concept map to put all the different aspects related to your research topic onto paper and to show the relationships between them. This will give you a bird’s eye view of all the moving parts associated with the chosen research topic. You will also, most probably, realise that the topic is too broad, and you’ll be able to zoom in a bit more to focus your research question better. But before you settle on a specific research question, do a bit of reading around the topic area. Your concept map will show you which keywords to search for.

#2 Use a concept map when planning the search strategy for your literature review

Jumping right into those databases to do a search for articles to include in your literature review can really take you down the deepest darkest rabbit hole. One of those where you find an appropriate article, then gets suggested a few related articles and then you find another few related articles to the related articles, and after 4 hours you can’t even remember what your actual focus was. To avoid this situation, draw your concept map first. You can use the concept map you drew when you brainstormed your research topic to give you guidance in terms of the keywords to search for. Planning your search strategy before you jump in will ensure that you remain on the well-lit path.

#3 Add a concept map to your completed literature review chapter

As you read more about your research topic, you’ll get a better idea of the relationships between the current concepts, and you’ll find more concepts to add to your concept map. Adapt your concept map as you go along, and once you have the final version of your literature review, add your concept map as a figure to your literature review chapter. This will give the reader a good overview of your literature review and it will make their hearts happy because we all know how nice it is to be rewarded with a picture after reading pages and pages of text.

#4 Use a concept map to plan your discussion

Once you completed your data analysis and interpretation, developing a concept map for your discussion will give you clarity on what to include in your discussion chapter or section.

#5 Add a concept map to your completed research project

Once you have completed your entire research project and you want to show how your findings filled a gap in the literature, you can indicate this by modifying the concept map which you created for our literature review. This is a great way to show how your research findings have added to the existing concepts related to your research topic.

#6 Use a concept map to show your research niche area

You can use a concept map to visually present your own research niche area and as your career progresses and you create more knowledge in a specific niche, you can add to your concept map.

How to make a concept map for research

Go to a place where there are very few distractions, a place that is conducive to letting those creative juices flow freely. Seeing that we all function differently, shall I rather say, a place which you perceive as having few distractions. It may be in a park, in your garden, at a restaurant, in the library or in your own study.

Take out a blank piece of paper and start thinking about your research project. Of course, you can do it on a blank page on your laptop as well. One of my students used sticky notes with each sticky note presenting a concept, and with smaller strips of sticky notes showing the relationships between concepts. You can even get all fancy and use concept mapping software. But as a start, a blank piece of paper is more than enough.

Jot down all the ideas that come to mind while you answer the following questions: What is your research about? Why is your research important? What gap does your research fill? What problem will your research solve? What influences your research outcome? Just jot all your thoughts down. Then, once you have all your thoughts on paper, see if you can identify some relationships between the concepts which you noted down. What comes before what? What is a consequence of what? What is associated with what?

Once you are happy with what you have put together, present it to a friend, preferably at a time when both of you are not in a hurry to get somewhere. At a bar with loud music may not work well, and on a first date may also not be a good idea. Explain what is going on in the concept map and give your friend a chance to ask some questions. As you explain it to someone, as well as through fielding your friend’s questions, it will start to make more sense to you, and you will most probably move some concepts around and add new ones. Repeat this process with someone else when you feel you need some more input.

If you are planning to feature your concept map in your thesis, dissertation or research article, now is the time to turn your rough concept map into something more presentable. One can easily get totally lost when it comes to choosing software to create a concept map. Some of the software out there is paid for while others give you a free version for some basic concept mapping. Be careful of that software which only gives you free access for 30 days, remember, you are going to change your concept map quite a few times as time goes on. If you prefer to use software which you are already familiar with, why not just do it in PowerPoint or Word? On the other hand, Lucidchart is really user-friendly. Watch the video below to see how easy it is to create a concept map with Lucidchart. Explore a few options and see what works for you, but be careful, this exploration can take you down that 4-hour rabbit hole and when a proposal submission deadline is looming, that rabbit hole is a dark place to be in.

We'd like to acknowledge Coffee Machine Cleaning  for the image of the coffee cup and notebook used in this blog post. 

Examples of concept maps

Here are a few examples of concept maps that show the concepts and the relationship between the concepts well. Click on the image to visit the original source. Go and enjoy developing a concept map for your research!

One last thing before you go, for more valuable content related to academic research, subscribe to the Research Masterminds YouTube Channel  and hit the bell so that you get notified when I upload a new video. If you are a (post)graduate student working on a masters or doctoral research project, and you are passionate about life, adamant about completing your studies successfully and ready to get a head-start on your academic career, this opportunity is for you! Join our awesome membership site - a safe haven offering you coaching, community and content to boost your research experience and productivity. Check it out!  https://www.researchmasterminds.com/academy . 

Example 1 Little Red Riding Hood

Example 2 Nursing Management

Example 3 Operations Management

Example 4 Cup of Coffee

Example 5 Flexibility

Example 6 Human Body Systems

Example 7 Simple Concept Map Template

If you prefer to watch the video, here it is:

Leave a comment

• Research Guides

Literature Review: A Self-Guided Tutorial

Using concept maps.

• Literature Reviews: A Recap
• Peer Review
• Reading the Literature
• Developing Research Questions
• Considering Strong Opinions
• 2. Review discipline styles
• Super Searching
• Finding the Full Text
• Citation Searching This link opens in a new window
• When to stop searching
• Citation Management
• Annotating Articles Tip
• 5. Critically analyze and evaluate
• How to Review the Literature
• Using a Synthesis Matrix
• 7. Write literature review

Concept maps or mind maps visually represent relationships of different concepts. In research, they can help you make connections between ideas. You can use them as you are formulating your research question, as you are reading a complex text, and when you are creating a literature review. See the video and examples below.

How to Create a Concept Map

Credit: Penn State Libraries ( CC-BY ) Run Time: 3:13

• Bubbl.us Free version allows 3 mind maps, image export, and sharing.
• MindMeister Free version allows 3 mind maps, sharing, collaborating, and importing. No image-based exporting.

Mind Map of a Text Example

Credit: Austin Kleon. A map I drew of John Berger’s Ways of Seeing in 2008. Tumblr post. April 14, 2016. http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/142802684061#notes

Literature Review Mind Map Example

This example shows the different aspects of the author's literature review with citations to scholars who have written about those aspects.

Credit: Clancy Ratliff, Dissertation: Literature Review. Culturecat: Rhetoric and Feminism [blog]. 2 October 2005. http://culturecat.net/node/955 .

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Developing a Research Topic: Concept Mapping

• Concept Mapping
• Developing Keywords for Searching
• Boolean, Truncation, and Wildcards
• Topic Ideas
• Writing a Research Question

Concept Map / Mind Mapping

What is a concept map.

A concept map is a visual representation of what you know about a topic. Concept maps help you organize your thoughts and explore the relationships in a topic.  Use a concept map to organize and represent what you know about a topic. Explore the connections between elements of the topic. 

Why use a concept map?

Concept maps can be used to develop a research topic. They are a useful brainstorming tool.

Concept maps can be used to study. Mapping what you know about a subject and examining the relationships between elements help you develop a greater understanding of the material.

How do I create a concept map?

• On a whiteboard
• Any way that works for you!

How do I organize the map?

Most of the time you start with the central idea, topic, or subject. Then you branch out from that central point and show how the main idea can be broken into specific subtopics. Each subtopic can also be broken into even more specific topics,

Make a Research Appointment

Click Make a Research Appointment to schedule a meeting with a librarian!

Organize what you know by subtopic in a topic map.

Use the topic map to define your research topic.

For example: geography - local travel - rail - variants - rail systems - designs & availability - emissions - research & evidence

Make a topic statement or research question. 

I am researching the environmental impact of using commuter rail systems in cities.

How does using commuter rail systems in cities affect the environment?

Concept Map, Mind Mapping

Example concept map.

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10 Concept Mapping

Creating a concept map is a way of organizing your brainstorming around key concepts.

This video from the University of Guelph offers a brief and helpful overview of concept mapping: [1]

Ready to get started with a concept map? This KPU learning aid can also help guide you through the process.

Let’s use our example where an instructor has given us the assignment: Write a 1,500 word persuasive essay that responds to the question: “Are transit services effective for Kwantlen University students?” Include your own perspective in your analysis and draw on two primary and two academic sources.

We’ll follow the seven steps of concept mapping outlined in the video above and I’ll include some examples.

• Identify the main topic
• Brainstorm everything you know about the topic
• Use relevant content from course, lectures, textbooks, and course material

Sticky notes can be a great way of jotting down ideas – you can move the notes around as you begin to identify similarities and differences. You can also ask questions and include reminders of work that that you need to do. See the example below of some sticky notes I might use to start my assignment:

I’ll add more sticky notes with key questions that relate back to the assignment – I’ll need to find primary and academic sources:

I can use these questions as I begin my research process and identify the primary and academic sources I need to support the argument that I will make.

To find out more about the research process, ask a librarian , or check out the KPU Library’s Research Help guide.

This video, included in KPU Library’s Research Help page, provides a good overview of working with an assignment to make sure that you develop a response that is specific and well-supported:

• Organize information into main points 

After noting down what I know about my topic and identifying key questions that I’ll need to research everything, I can focus on a few things that will be important to describe and analyze in my essay. I’ve made a list of some that I can use:

Based on what I’ve done so far, I’m setting up a descriptive comparison of transit options for KPU students, but will emphasize that current transit options are not effective. I want to look for further connections between ideas and see how I can shape my argument.

Step Three :

• Start creating map
• Begin with main points
• Branch out to supporting details

Give it a try! Based on your experience of public transit and the ideas that I’ve outlined so far, how might you start to create a concept map? You can use a piece of paper, or concept mapping software, to make note of ideas and start to connect them.

Step Four :

• Review map and look for more connections
• Use arrows, symbols, and colours, to show relationships between ideas

I start to build layers of connections and relationships in my map:

Step Five :

• Include details

This is where I can provide more information about each point – below, I’ve taken one of the points and added to it:

• Analyze and improve map by asking questions
• How do ideas fit together?
• Have all necessary connections been made?

This is where I can step back and review my map and keep the purpose of my assignment in mind. This is also a good time to follow up on questions that I might have – I can talk through my ideas with a classmate or visit my instructor as I continue to develop and refine my ideas.

Step Seven :

• Update concept map as you learn more
• Ask key questions about connections between ideas

I’ll keep my map with me as I meet with my instructor to discuss my ideas and when I visit the library to locate any academic resources that I might need; this way, I can keep everything together.

• “ How to Create a Concept Map ” by University of Guelph Library CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ↵

Academic Writing Basics Copyright © 2019 by Megan Robertson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Spartanburg Community College Library
• SCC Research Guides
• Choosing a Research Topic
• 1. Concept Mapping

Concept Mapping

A concept map (also called a mind map) is a tool that you can use to help brainstorm a research topic or help you narrow down a general idea into a more focused idea. Concept maps can also be used to help you come up with a thesis statement for your assignment or to help you develop keywords that you can use in your database searching. 

Concept maps also help you see connections between some of your ideas and show you how many different directions you can take your research based on a single idea.

How to create a Concept Map

The great thing about concept maps is that they can look however you'd like and can be done either on a piece of paper or even done online. Some free online concept mapping tools are MindMup , Creately , and Lucidchart , although there are many other tools available.

Start with your main idea in the center of your map. Then to start building out your map, use the 5Ws + How (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) to start thinking about related concepts. For example, why is this topic so important? Who is influenced by your topic? Where did your topic take place?

Example Concept Map

The general topic of your paper, the All Community Colleges Should be Tuition Free  goes in the center of your page.

Using the 5Ws + How, you have built out a concept map, to give you a better sense of which directions your paper can go. For example, based on your concept map, you might decide to narrow down your topic to who is impacted by community colleges being tuition free or how free tuition makes education more accessible.

• Community members
• Strengthens the workforce.
• Makes education more accessible.
• Current issue.
• Spartanburg Community College
• More community members have the ability to go to college.
• Free tuition helps ease the financial burden of going to college.
• State funding.

Helpful Resources

• Concept Mapping Handout This printable handout can help you get started on a concept map.
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• Next: 2. Background Research >>
• What Makes a Good Research Topic?
• 2. Background Research
• 3. Narrow Your Topic / Thesis Statements

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18 Concept Mapping – Seven Steps

Creating a concept map is a way of organizing your brainstorming around key concepts. Mapping was introduced in Chapter 8 – Note-taking Skills.

This video from the University of Guelph offers a brief and helpful overview of concept mapping: [1]

Let’s use our example where an instructor has given us the assignment: Write a 1000 word persuasive essay that responds to the question: “Are transit services effective for Kwantlen University students?” Include your own perspective in your analysis and draw on two primary and two academic sources.

We’ll follow the seven steps of concept mapping outlined in the video below and I’ll include some examples.

If you have your own assignment that you are currently working on, use the steps below to make your own concept map for your assignment.

• Identify the main topic
• Brainstorm everything you know about the topic
• Use relevant content from course, lectures, textbooks, and course material

Sticky notes can be a great way of jotting down ideas – you can move the notes around as you begin to identify similarities and differences. You can also ask questions  and include reminders of work that you need to do. See the example below of some sticky notes I might use to start my assignment:

I’ll add more sticky notes with key questions that relate back to the assignment – I’ll need to find primary and academic sources . I can use these questions as I begin my research process and identify the primary and academic sources I need to support the argument that I will make:

• Organize information into main points

After noting down what I know about my topic and identifying key questions that I’ll need to research, I can focus on a few things that will be important to describe and  analyze in my essay. I’ve made a list of some I can use:

Based on what I’ve done so far, I’m setting up a descriptive comparison of transit options for KPU students, though I will emphasize that current transit options are not effective. I want to look for further connections between ideas and see how I can shape my argument.

• Start creating map
• Begin with main points
• Branch out to supporting details

Give it a try! Based on your experience of public transport and the ideas that I’ve outlined so far, how might you start to create a concept map? You can use a piece of paper, or concept mapping software, to make notes of ideas and start to connect them.

• Review map and look for more connections
• Use arrows, symbols, and colours, to show relationships between ideas

I start to build layers of connections and relationships in my map:

• Include details

This is where I can provide more information about each point – below, I’ve taken one of the points and added to it:

• Analyze and improve map by asking questions
• How do ideas fit together?
• Have all necessary connections been made?

This is where I can step back and review my map and keep the purpose of my assignment in mind. This is also a good time to follow up on questions that I might have.  I can talk through my ideas with a classmate or visit my instructor as I continue to develop and refine my ideas.

• Update concept map as you learn more
• Ask key questions about connections between ideas

I’ll keep my map with me as I meet with my instructor to discuss my ideas and when I visit the library to locate any academic resources that I might need; this way, I can keep everything together.

• “ How to Create a Concept Map ” by University of Guelph Library CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ↵

first; original A primary source is one that is unmediated such as a first-hand account of events.

researched, reliable, written by academics and published by reputable publishers; often, but not always peer reviewed

Academic Writing Skills Copyright © 2021 by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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LEARNING & TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS USING CONCEPT MAPPING: A TECHNICAL REVIEW

2022, Transstellar Journals

The current thesis was performed with the aim of examining how students and teachers in Learning and Teaching of Mathematics using Concept Mapping use it. Experienced professors are often faced with the challenge of presenting courses or content in a way that students understand and enjoy by hands-on instruction. A compromise may be to reduce the amount of instructional material. Unquestionably, changes are needed, not so much in terms of content as in terms of presentation. A description map is a diagram that shows how definitions are related to one another. It is a graphical platform for organizing and visualizing section or theme material. The phrases (concepts) are often written in "balloons," with lines and, if possible, words defining their relationship connecting them. Describe an experiment in which two groups of students were given different directions for creating conceptual maps in this paper. The experiment revealed that concept maps had a broad range of mathematical applications.

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This paper reports on the findings from the use of concept maps in a mathematics foundation course at a university in Kuwait. The study sample consisted of 130 freshmen students from a mathematics foundation course. Through a case-study design, concept maps and assessment tests were utilized to assess and monitor students' mathematical understanding and achievement at various points of the course. The findings of the study showed that concept maps can be effective as a tool to assess, monitor, and improve students' mathematical understanding, particularly their conceptual understanding when they are used systematically and when their use is followed-up by discussions that encourage students to reflect and talk about their maps and the links they have made. The improved understanding was found to contribute to the enhancement of mathematical achievement. The paper reports details on the use of concept maps in mathematics lessons and makes recommendations for practice and future research.

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Research has identified conceptual understanding as central to students’ mathematics comprehension. However, limited research is available to help teachers link mathematics concepts from junior to senior subjects during teaching and learning in Queensland. This mixed methods study is underpinned by constructivism. It explores teachers’ perceptions on how visual representations such as concept maps that link junior concepts (years 7 to 10) to senior concepts (year 11 and 12) can enhance the teaching and learning of conceptual knowledge at senior secondary mathematics. Surveys that include Likert scale items and open-ended questions were conducted with sixteen senior secondary mathematics teachers. To gain deeper understanding, eight semi-structured interviews were also conducted. Results show teachers hold the perception that when concept maps are used to link junior (years 7 to 10) to secondary concepts (year 11 and 12) they can be a resource that enhances conceptual knowledge, cons...

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This paper stands up as an argument for a broadening of the methods used in the science teaching process. The main goal of the authors is to point out ways of achieving learning excellence by usage of modern educational means. This bold aim can be reached by resorting to concept maps within the teaching and evaluation processes. We focus upon the advantages of this method taking as an example a Harmonic Oscillation Motion concept map.

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This article is meant to offer math teachers a possibility to initiate their own study of concept maps, a powerful heuristic tool designed by Joseph Novak, on the ground that this tool can effectively help university students to face many difficulties for learning science and achieving a meaningful learning. This paper reflects the outcome of a research project undertaken at Universidad Nacional Experimental del Tachira (UNET), Venezuela, investigating different ways teacher and students may use concept mapping in physics. This paper hopes to engage educators on a discussion of this important issue and will focus on answering the following questions: What are Concept Maps? How are they constructed? What is the theory that supports Concept Maps? What are they used for? How can they be used with large groups of university students to facilitate the teaching-learning process? According to our experience, there are some possibilities to use Concept Maps in physics courses. Although we h...

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Home > GRADSCHOOL > GRADSCHOOL_THESES > 2425

LSU Master's Theses

Assessing effectiveness of concept map as instructional tool in high school biology.

etd-07092012-114044

Ritchie Adlaon , Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow

Master of Natural Sciences (MNS)

Natural Sciences (Interdepartmental Program)

Document Type

This thesis emphasizes on an alternate instructional tool called “Concept Map”. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using concept maps in improving the science achievement of 10th -grade students and compare it with a traditional approach for a Biology unit. Furthermore, the interaction of the student’s concept mapping ability and their learning gains was investigated. Both the control and the experimental groups were required to take a pre test before instruction and a posttest at the end of three weeks. The test consisting of 31 questions was used to assess learning gains on a Biology Unit about Balance in Nature. Student-constructed maps were scored using Novak’s scoring scheme. The first finding of the study was that concept map – exposed students did not perform much better than the same level students in the traditional group. The difference in the learning gains between the experimental and the control group in their unit test, though statistically significant, did not seem to be solely due to concept mapping. The second finding indicated that total scores in concept maps did not strongly predict student achievement in Science. Moreover, results showed that the levels of concept mapping ability were not associated with the concept- mapping students’ learning gains. Nevertheless, the study suggests that, when carefully integrated into the normal classroom procedure and when other contributing factors such as student motivation and preparedness, reading ability levels, time and classroom environment are considered, concept mapping has a potential to be an effective instructional strategy.

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Recommended Citation

Adlaon, Ritchie, "Assessing effectiveness of concept map as instructional tool in high school biology" (2012). LSU Master's Theses . 2425. https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2425

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Hopkins, John

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Evidence-Based Teaching

How to Make a Concept Map Easily – with Examples

Concept mapping is an evidence-based and a high-impact teaching strategy . But many teachers and students are unsure how to make a concept map easily. Discover how to make a concept map easily and with the help of an example.

A review of meta-analytic research shows that concept mapping has a typical impact of d=0.66 . This is a much larger impact than most other teaching strategies. Therefore, it is essential that you know how to make a concept map!

But what does concept mapping involve and how can you use it?

This guide answers these and many other questions you may have.

As this a complete guide , it is quite long. If you want to go straight to a particular section, click on it in the following list of contents.

What Is Concept Mapping?

Concept mapping involves representing and organising interrelated knowledge visually and hierarchically. They are a specific type of graphic organiser .

Concept maps have 3 key parts. The first two parts are the:

• Concepts – usually written within rectangles or ovals
• Relationships between them – often represented by labelled arrows

Together, the concept-relationship-concept structure makes propositions. Propositions form the third key part of concept maps and they reflect the key understandings of the material.

Here is a simple example of a concept map about the states of matter. It shows the concepts within rectangles and the relationships with labelled arrows . The propositions or key understandings that it shows are:

• Matter has different states
• Solids are a type of state  and  states include solids
• Liquids are another type of state  and  states include liquids
• Gases are the third form of state  and  states include gases

Note: Propositions don’t have to be grammatically correct. For example, solid → type of → state translates into solids are a type of state.

Here is a more developed example of a concept map of the concepts related to the states of matter .

What Is NOT a Concept Map?

The next two diagrams are not concept maps . They do not explicitly show the relationships between concepts. Nor do they show a real hierarchy, as:

• Hard Life, Chains and Australian History
• Performing, Music, and Drama

should not be placed on the same hierarchical level.

Why Use Concept Mapping?

Your students’ minds do not store bits of information randomly. Rather, they store them in organised fashion using what psychologists call schema . These schema help students see how different pieces of information fit together. This includes how:

• New information fits with what students already know
• Various bits of new information fit together

Research 1 shows that helping students integrate information into meaningful schema enhances learning.

Concept mapping offers you with a concrete way to do this. And, it has its own specific body of research which shows how powerful it can be.

Concept Mapping is Useful in Many Year Levels & in Many Subjects

One recent meta-analysis of research has shown that concept mapping has a positive impact on all levels of schooling. However, most studies focused on students in:

• Middle school
• Secondary school

The same research found that concept mapping is useful in both STEM and non-STEM subjects, as well as:

However, there was a different review of research , finding that concept mapping wasn’t helpful in Mathematics. The study showing support for STEM subjects didn’t drill down further than classifying subjects as STEM vs non-STEM. And, as a different study found that using concept maps in Mathematics is not a good idea, I would proceed with caution in that area.

Two Ways to Make a Concept Map

There are two ways to make concept maps:

• Using a computer (or iPad or similar)

You can create concept maps by hand . However, the process often involves moving concepts around, which can then require a lot of rubbing out. You’ll appreciate this more after you complete your first concept map. If you want your students to make a complex concept map by hand, then I suggest a bit of creative thinking. For example, you could use small Post-it® notes on a blank piece of A3 paper. You can use different coloured notes to help identify each hierarchical level. You connect the separate post-it notes with hand-drawn arrows and relationships. It may still involve some rubbing out, but not as much. Once you are happy with your map, you can copy it into a notebook.

You can also use software (or apps) to create concept maps . You can do this manually, using a generic graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator. However, it is easier to use a program specifically designed for concept mapping . Many schools already have a program called Inspiration . However, you can also download a free program called CMap from the Florida Institute for Machine & Human Cognition . It is the one I use. It comes in Computer, Server, iPad and Cloud versions.

For making your own concept maps, I recommend using CMap Tools (Windows, Mac, Linux), or otherwise CMap Tools for iPad ,

How to Make a Concept Map Yourself a Simple Example

Before you start asking your students to make concept maps, it is a good idea to start making some concept maps yourself. It will help you:

• Understand what concept maps are good for, and what they are not
• To give better feedback and assistance to your students

Download & Install CMap Tools

Concept mapping can get a bit complex. So, I recommend using CMap Tools . It’s free! But you can donate at any time. Once you are familiar with the software, consider doing this.

• Click the above link
• Scroll to the bottom and click on the download button It will open a new page
• Scroll down until you see a form, enter your details in that form , and click submit
• Click on the download button for your operating system (e.g. mine was Windows 64-bit) The file will download to your computer
• Open or run the file . It’s an install file, not the program itself The installation program has several steps . Most of them are self-explanatory In step 3, choose Typical Installation In step 4, choose your usual program file location. For Windows, this is simply C:\Program Files and the folder \IMHC CMap Tools In step 5, choose some shortcut locations , such as Desktop & Start Bar
• Review and confirm your options , and then you are all done

Making Concepts 

In this section, you will learn how to create concepts and the linking relationships between them. This is the essence of concept mapping. You will also learn the necessary formatting skills you need to make more complex maps.

Start by opening CMap. Then click File and New. Maximise your CMap, so it fits a full screen.

Double click anywhere on the page and a blank concept rectangle appears with ???? acting as a placeholder for your concept.

When the concept is selected, it has a blue rectangle around it and 2 arrows at the top. While your blank concept rectangle is selected, type the word dogs . You have made your first concept.

Now create a new concept for Labrador beside dogs .

Linking Relationships

It’s time to link these two concepts. When linking concepts, directions are important. In this case, I want to show that Labradors are a breed of dog . So I start from Labrador and draw a line to dogs.

• Select Labrador so that it has a blue line around it and two arrows at the top.
• Click on the two arrows, hold the mouse button down and drag across towards dogs
• When you get close to dogs , you will see a blue border around it and several anchor points
• Then, simply let go when you are over an anchor point

Once you let go, you will see ???? acting as a placeholder for your link label . Select ???? and then simply type your label, breed of .

You have now used the concept-link-concept format to create a proposition. If you have not left enough room between concepts to fit the words, breed of, select and drag one of the concepts, so they are further apart. You can also select and drag the words breed of to centre them again.

Propositions, concepts and the relationships (labelled arrows) between them are the basis of concept mapping.

How to Make a Basic Concept Map

There are steps you should consider when making a complete concept map. I expand on these concept mapping steps later in this guide, but they include:

• Identifying your focus
• Listing your key concepts
• Grouping your key concepts into hierarchical levels

Linking your concepts

In this example of a basic map, I have chosen to focus on breeds of dogs that I have owned . Why? Partly because I love dogs, but mainly because it keeps the concept map nice and simple.

Listing Concepts

After deciding upon my focus, I simply list the relevant concepts .

Hierarchical Grouping

Next, you need to arrange your concepts into a basic hierarchy . Using the above concepts, Dogs would be at the top of the hierarchy, and the 3 breeds of dogs would be underneath. To move a concept, you simply click on it, hold the mouse button down and move your mouse.

I suggest that you also format each level of your hierarchy differently. To format an object, simply select it, then select the Format at the top of the screen. And, from the drop menu items, select Styles .

A small screen, such as the one below, will appear on your screen. Don’t worry if it looks different to mine. I will explain it.

About ¾ of the way down the style screen , you will see 4 tabs – font, object, line and CMap . On mine, Object is selected. This allows me to format things such as shape (rectangle, rounded rectangle, circle), and the background colour. On yours, a different tab may be selected. Under the font tab, I can choose the font style, size and colour. Under the line tab, I can play around with arrows and line types.

With the style screen still open, select Dogs . It is the top concept in this map, so we want to make it stand out. I gave it a:

• Red background
• Bold, white, size 24 font

The concepts, Labrador, Maltese Terriers and Border Collies, are all on the same level of our hierarchy, so we want them to look the same. While they already do, I want to show you how to style multiple concepts at once.

• Click to the top left of Labradors
• Hold the mouse key down
• Drag to the bottom right of Border Collies

You simply click and drag around the objects you want to include. In this example:

You can now go back to your Style screen ( Format then Style ), and style these 3 concepts all at once. I gave them a light orange background, and a black, size 16 font.

It is now time to create some linking relationships . Think about the direction of your relationship before making it. For example, I want to show that Labradors are a breed of dog . This relationship goes from Labradors to dogs, so I draw it that way. I repeated this process for Maltese Terriers and Border Collies .

You now have a completed, albeit basic concept map. Next, we look in more detail at the steps involved in concept mapping.

How to Make a Concept Map in 6 Easy Steps

There is no single set of steps to follow to make a concept map. However, the following steps give you a good starting point. You can go back and forth between the steps as needed.

Select a focus

It is common to use questions to focus your concept maps. For example, ‘What are the states of matter?’. You should save your blank concept map straight away. Then, as part of the saving process, you can specify your focus question.

Identify key concepts

You can identify key concepts by drawing on your existing knowledge. You can also refer to relevant written material, including textbooks (headings, subheadings, bolded vocabulary), trustworthy online websites and the online Australian Curriculum . In this step, you are just creating a list.

Levelling your concepts

You can use a top-down or a left-to-right You can also use different colours to help highlight the basic levels. You can also add different colours and font sizes for each level of your hierarchy.

Link your key concepts , making sure that each concept-relationship-concept in your map forms a proposition and that your propositions are factually correct.

Enhancing your map

Look for ways to enhance your map. Add in cross-links, examples and additional concepts. Things will come to mind, as the process of creating your map will get you thinking about your own understanding of the topic at hand. Note – as examples are not generalised concepts, make them look different in some way.

Review and publish

Review your work, including that it is factually correct as well proofreading spelling. Then it is time to publish!

A Step by Step Example

A unit on the solar system.

Year 4 students learn about our solar system as part of their science curriculum . Involving them in concept mapping can enhance their learning. However, before I ask students to make concept maps, I make one myself. I normally do this as part of my unit planning process as it helps clarify the things students must understand. These steps describe the steps I took to create a concept map on the solar system.

Concept Mapping Step 1: The Focus Question

The topic of the concept map is the solar system . Yet, phrasing the topic as a question helps to focus the concept map, by avoiding unnecessary details. What should my focus question be?

To help answer that I had a look at the Australian Curriculum for Year 5 Science . I like to start at the end, that is what must the students be able to do. The achievement standard states that students should be able to describe the key features of the solar system .

So, I made my focus question:

What are the key features of the solar system?

Step 2: Identify & List Key Concepts

Brainstorming.

With the focus question in mind, I brainstormed some key concepts that I believed would help answer my focus question. These included:

• Solar System

Trustworthy Websites

Then I looked up Solar System on NASA’s website . In a nutshell, it described our solar system as the Sun and the things that go around it . Things I had missed, included:

• Dwarf Planets

I also needed better words than things and go around. So I changed them:

• Things became objects
• Go around became orbit

Next, I went to a more in-depth overview of our solar system on NASA’s website. In addition to the above, they mentioned:

• Stars – specifically that our Sun is one of many stars
• Kuiper Belt

I then looked up NASA’s webpage on planets and found 3 types of planets, within 2 categories. The 2 categories were:

The 3 types of planets were:

Australian Curriculum

I then had a quick look at the relevant learning descriptor in the Australian Curriculum. It stated that the Earth is part of a system  of planets orbiting around a star (the sun). Nothing to add from that.

Then I had a look at the elaborations and added the following concepts:

• Time (different planets take different amounts of time to orbit the Sun)
• Size (of the Sun and objects orbiting it)
• Distance (of planets from the Sun)

To finish this step, I listed my 21 concepts at the top of my concept map page.

Step 3: Levelling Concepts

Next, I took the listed concepts and grouped them into a basic hierarchy. My hierarchy goes from left to right.

Essentially, I used colour and font size, as well as the physical location to show this hierarchy. Some concepts have different shades of the same colour, to show that while they technically at the same hierarchical level, some are more ‘key’ than others.

I also wanted the concept star to be close to the concept Sun . But as other stars are not part of our solar system, I left star as a plain white box with a small font size.

I still had not decided where to place the concepts, size, time and distance, so I left them unformatted at the top of the page to deal with later.

Concept Mapping Step 4: Linking Concepts

Step 4, when concept mapping, involves showing the key relationships between concepts in the above hierarchy. The shape of the map remains fairly like that shown in Step 3. However, as I had to add labelled arrowed lines, I moved some for aesthetic reasons.

I also decided to remove the concepts of size, distance and time . Instead, I referred to them in the labels of some of the arrowed lines. Here is what it looks like.

Step 5: Enhancing the Map

Next, I added in examples of some of the key concepts. These examples included all 8 planets , plus representative examples of some other concepts. I made my examples all look the same, black text in a white dotted rectangle.

I also added some additional concepts, such as natural satellites, clear orbit, spherical shape, belt and thick shell.

Concept Mapping Step 6: Reviewing Your Concept Map

Overall, I was quite happy with my concept map. But I now needed to review it, proofread it and improve it.

Reviewing a complex map involves asking yourself questions, such as:

• How well does my map answer the focus question ?
• Can my concept labels and link labels be more succinct?
• Are any concept labels listed more than once?
• Are my propositions factually correct?
• How accurate are my hierarchical levels ?

After reflecting on these questions, and doing some further reading, I found 5 ways I could improve my map:

• The Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud are not objects orbiting the Sun, but rather a collection of objects orbiting the Sun, so they would be better placed on a different hierarchical level
• The Kuiper Belt needed some further clarification
• Belt (asteroid) needed to be in the same hierarchical level as the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
• The object meteoroid is a sub-class of asteroids
• The concepts orbit and clear orbit needed to be a single concept orbit with an appropriate link clear between planets and orbit
• Noticed, I had accidentally deleted meteoroids , so I added it back in
• Added some more details to some link labels

What Could You Get Out of this Form of Concept Mapping?

In addition to clarifying in my own mind what I was about to teach. This process allows me to generate propositions that I can use as part of my unit objectives.

See this example .

Concept Mapping Has More Impact on Student Learning in These 3 Situations

You can use concept mapping yourself to help you do things like getting your own head around a unit topic. This is what I did with the above concept map on the Key Features of Our Solar System. Research shows that such clarity has its own benefits, but concept mapping is only one way to achieve it. Furthermore, there is no research showing that using concept mapping in this way is any more effective than other ways of clarifying the focus and scope of intended learning. No research shows that concept mapping isn’t better either – there is just no research on the topic.

But research has shown that concept mapping has a more substantial impact on student learning when:

• Used to help students learn central ideas , rather than details
• Used within and beyond your classroom
• Your students actively engage with the map

Working with Central Ideas

If I was teaching this unit, I would not use the whole map with my students.

The concept map I made about our solar system was quite complex and detailed. Yet, research shows that concept mapping with school students works best when it focuses on central ideas rather than details.

I would start with the first 4 hierarchical levels.

I would then ask students to use their prior knowledge to come up with a list of what those objects include. Next, I would clarify and correct their ideas by including the fifth level of the hierarchy. When doing so, I would only show the key relationships between them.

When expanding on other concepts, such as planets or asteroids, I would make separate concept maps. I would do the same thing for additional concepts, such as the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud . For example:

I would only show them in the overarching map, to explain key relationships – and then, only the relevant parts.

Done Within & Beyond Your Classroom

Essentially, this means that concept mapping has more impact on student results when students use it in class, and for:

• Assignments

As with all homework and assignment work, you shouldn’t ask students to do something you haven’t shown them how to do in class.

Active Engagement

Active engagement involves thinking hard, and one of the best ways to get students thinking hard is through retrieval practice. This can take the form of:

• Fill in the blanks type maps
• Making their own maps

For example, in my first lesson on our solar system, after showing them the first 5 hierarchical levels of my own map, I may ask them to complete the following by themselves.

I would then ask them to do it for homework. I would repeat this task over time, each time asking them to do more of it themselves. Eventually, I would ask them to make the map from scratch.

It Doesn’t Matter …

The research shows that it doesn’t seem to matter:

• How long you use concept maps for (e.g. a 3-week unit, or a 10-week unit)
• If students complete concept maps individually or in small groups
• If students use static, animated or interactive concept maps

I trust found this guide on concept mapping in the classroom helpful.

Please feel welcome to link to it from your website.

Infographic on Concept Mapping

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1 See for example: Rayner, Vanessa; Bernard, Robert; Osana, Helena (2013). A Meta-Analysis of Transfer of Learning in Mathematics with a Focus on Teaching Interventions . Conference Paper: American Educational Research Association; and, Donker, A. S.; de Boer, H.; Kostons, D.; Dignath van Ewijk, C. C.; van der Werf, M. P. C.(2014). Effectiveness of Learning Strategy Instruction on Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis . Educational Research Review, 11, 1-26.

SHAUN KILLIAN (MEd., MLead.)

Shaun Killian (me) is an experienced and passionate teacher, as well as a past school principal. After a heart transplant and having both my legs amputated, I am not yet capable of returning to work. Yet, my passion for helping students succeed has led me to use my time to research teaching and associated practices. I then share what I find in practical ways through this website. The greatest compliment I have ever received from a past student was I never left any student behind. That is mission of most teachers and I hope you find the information on this site useful.

2021 shaun patrick killian

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