Concept Mapping as a Means of Evaluating Primary School Technology Programmes

Concept mapping provides a means for teachers and pupils to represent their understanding of an area of knowledge. It has been used as a planning tool by teachers to identify a framework of specific concepts and their propositions within a topic, as an assessment tool and as a means of collaborative sharing of knowledge. Information from two primary schools would also suggest that it can be used as a means of evaluating a school programme of primary technology. Research into people's perceptions and attitudes to technology indicated that there were a number of concepts and propositions associated with this field of study. A variety of groups of people including primary children were asked to describe what they understood to be technology and this information was constructed into a concept map format. The two schools described in the study had different programmes to deliver technology within the curriculum area of environmental studies. The first school had a planned programme of technology which was taught by the head teacher of the school. The second school had technology taught by class teachers, running as a thread throughout the environmental studies programme. In the first case the children knew when they were engaged in a technological task whereas in the second case the technology was implicit and the children were not necessarily aware of any specific subject area. The children's perceptions of technology and their attitudes towards it were analysed with reference to the constructed concept map. In the school where there were specifically programmed technological tasks, the children indicated that their understandings of technology were focused towards the design process; they identified technology as designing, making, problem solving and generating ideas. In relation to the Scottish curriculum their knowledge was concentrated in the area of the outcome entitled 'Understanding and Using the Design Process'. Children in the second school indicated that their understanding of technology was related to objects including computers and new inventions. This demonstrated that their ideas were mostly linked to the outcome entitled 'Understanding and Using Technology in Society.' It can be argued that in order to have a comprehensive understanding of technology the children should have knowledge and understanding of both outcomes. In the light of the results the head teachers of the respective schools decided to look more closely at their programmes in order to find out what modifications might be made. The head teacher of the first school decided to question the children more closely because he was aware of some attitudinal difference between the boys and the girls. He has now decided to do some further research in his school to see what changes need to be made. The head teacher of the second school is about to embark on a complete review of her school technology programme. The results of the research would suggest that concept mapping in the suggested form is a possible tool for evaluation of primary school technology prorammes. However this was only a small case study and further research would have to be done to provide more substantial evidence.