Two Strategies for Encouraging Functional Relationships in Concept Maps

Two strategies for encouraging formation of dynamic relationships in Concept Maps (CMaps) are discussed and tested, namely concept quantification and a dynamic focus question of the map. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of these two approaches on dynamic thinking during the CMap construction task. The first experiment examined the impact of the quantification of the root concept in the map. The second experiment explored the effect of the focus question of the map. For both experiments, the content of CMaps was assessed for the number of dynamic propositions and the number of quantified concepts. The results showed that the quantification of the root concept and the dynamic focus question “how” significantly increased dynamic thinking. In addition, the focus question affected the selection of concepts used in the maps and how those concepts were used. The studies, the theoretical background, and the implications of the findings are discussed.