A Developmental Framework for Assessing Concept Maps

Abstract

This paper describes the application of a developmental assessment model to the analysis of concept maps prepared by students in upper primary, mid-secondary and senior years of schooling. The model, referred to as SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome), provides a means for interpreting student responses within a framework of cognitive growth. A key feature of the model is its focus on the quality of a student response. Based on a discussion of key features of students' concept maps, descriptors are proposed from a SOLO perspective for increasingly complex concept maps.