Concept map as an assessment tool in secondary school mathematics: An analysis of teachers' perspectives

Abstract

This paper reports on teachers' views on concept mapping: its applicability; reliability; advantages and; difficulties. A close-ended questionnaire was administered to 50 purposefully selected secondary school mathematics teachers from Sekhukhune District, Limpopo, South Africa. The findings indicate that mathematics teachers generally perceive that concept map: is useful; effective; is a practical tool for teaching mathematical concepts; represents and organises knowledge; helps retention and recall of concepts learnt and; provides feedback on the understanding of the concepts learnt. An important implication of this study is that there is a need for teachers to incorporate the concept mapping in the formative assessment process.