ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS CONCEPT MAPPING AND VEE DIAGRAMMING AS METALEARNING TOOLS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Concept mapping and vee diagramming are metalearning tools that have recently appeared on the science education scene. Literature attesting to their metacognitive potentials for students provide reason for optimism regarding their use for tackling rote memorization of scientific concepts. Are teachers who are key agents in the diffusion process of an educational innovation positively disposed towards these new metalearning tools? This is the broad question addressed in this study. The first phase of the study resulted in the development and validation of an instrument - the Attitude towards Concept- and Vee-Mapping Inventory (ACVMI). The second phase involved the use of this instrument to collect data for answering two major research questions. Data obtained from 48 biology, 36 chemistry, 24 physics and 33 mathematics teachers who had been trained in and had used the two tools showed a largely favourable attitude towards learning the techniques and using them in teaching science rather than mathematics. Both science and mathematics teachers expressed views favouring both metalearning tools in terms of their benefits in the areas of meaningful learning and reduction of anxiety levels. A few questions were tackled in the study and some more questions surfaced. One of these is the observed poor attitude of mathematics teachers towards vee mapping. The other is how to assist teachers in teaching both concept mapping and vee mapping such that they can gain greater confidence, especially with teaching vee mapping in science and mathematics classrooms. Research focused on these and related questions is eagerly awaited.