Chinese Journal of Science Education

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to explore the influence of concept mapping, illustration, and the combination of concept mapping and illustration with different levels of children's academic ability on students' knowledge structures, compr ehension, and learning response. A two-way between-subjects factorial design was used. A total of 180 fifth-graders including low, middle and high ability students were chosen from primary school based on their achievement of sciences. Then they were rand omly assigned into a concept mapping group, illustration group, a group combing concept mapping and illustration and a control group. One week after instruction, the Knowledge Structure Test and Comprehension Ability Test for three scientific texts were a dministered. The data were analyzed using Pathfinder and a two-way factorial ANOVA. A sample of 24 children was randomly chosen from the four groups to be interviewed. The results indicated that the effects of different material formats on students' knowl edge structures and comprehension ability were affected by learners' ability. Low ability students' knowledge structures and comprehension ability were influenced more by reading illustration as opposed to text alone. Comprehension ability was more effect ively promoted by combing concept mapping and illustration than by only reading text. Middle ability students knowledge structures and comprehension were more effected by the different material formats than by only reading text. The effects of reading dif ferent material formats on high ability students was affected by the difficulty of the material. The analysis of children's interviews indicated that learning response was affected by the different material formats and the learner's ability.

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