Implications

The Mautone and Mayer (2007) study suggests the potential to use structural and concrete graphic organizers to promote students’ comprehension of scientific graphs. Structural organizers should help students to understand how variables are related. In addition, there is the possibility that repeated use of concrete graphic organizers may promote causal understanding and integration of new knowledge into existing schemata. Theoretical implications suggest that signaling graphic organizers that focus on structure may help students to better understand relations in graphs. Structural graphic organizers can help students to better understand more complex relations between variables, such as curvilinear relationships.

The Ozmen (2009) study suggests the potential to use laboratory activities and concept mapping together to modify alternative conceptions that tend to be stable and resistant to correction by traditional teaching methods. Theoretical implications of this article involve possible synergistic effects between concept mapping and laboratory activities (and possibly other forms of experiential learning, group work, and project-based learning).

The Chiou, C. (2008) study indicates that concept mapping can be an effective meta-cognitive strategy to enhance meaningful learning in accounting and other related business courses. In domains that stress the incremental acquisition of knowledge (in particular math and science), concept mapping might be an effective instructional and summative tool by allowing corrective feedback during the course of instruction

The Gonzalez, H., Palencia, A., Umana, L., Galindo, L., Villafrade M,L., (2008)study suggests that concept mapping, combined with a mediated learning experience, can be an effective meta-cognitive strategy to enhance meaningful learning in a medical school setting.

One of the implications the Bahr, S & Dasereau,D. (2005) study includes using both BiK and monolingual knowledge maps in all kinds of academic settings in order to promote a shift toward a more beneficial top-down processing strategy among the learners.

The Bera and Robinson (2004) study suggests that future GO research further explore relations and interdependence between encoding efficiency and encoding distinctiveness, the two factors that can produce the efficient and effective comprehension of main ideas.

Practical implication for this study are likely to include the incorporation of Bera and Robinson efforts which call on educators to capitalize on students’ active involvement in the learning process into everyday in-class instruction and may lead to more content-appropriate handouts and displays in schools in all levels.

The Gardill and Jitendra(1999) study suggests that direct instruction in the use of story maps can lead to gains in comprehension with middle school students with learning disabilities. The number of instruction and practice sessions needed before mastery was achieved was up to 23, so repeated practice would be needed to effectively make use of this instructional strategy.

The Abi-El-Mona study lends support to the efficacy of using mind maps to support student learning in the domain of science instruction for middle school students. Furthermore, the gains were not mediated by students’ prior achievement.The results from the study contradict the theory of iconography’s connection with mind-mapping proposed by Buzan.