A study issued by the university reveals the effectiveness of the use of concept maps in the development of critical thinking among students.
A study issued by the King Khalid University (KKU), conducted by researcher, Fatima Moussa Ali Faqihi, has uncovered the effectiveness of the use of concept maps in the development of academic achievement and critical thinking among second grade students of a secondary in Fiqh (jurisprudence) subject. The study concluded that the concept maps have a positive impact on the development of students’ attainment and critical thinking.
The study aimed to find out the effectiveness of teaching using concept maps in the academic achievement of the concepts of jurisprudence development in selected topics. It also aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the concept maps in the development of critical thinking skills among second grade students at the secondary stage.
The study used all of the descriptive, analytical and the semi-experimental approaches, and it was conducted on a sample of second grade students at the secondary stage (literary section), in two public schools belonging to the Department of Education in Abha.
According to the study, concept maps are important tools in the teaching of thinking, which has become a key requirement in the educational process at all levels of education, and that its use in teaching helped in organizing knowledge, and in receiving arranged and consistent topics relative to the way the brain works.
The study also showed that the concept maps allow students to express logical relationships between concepts and the other erroneous concepts they already have. The study also revealed that the provision of an environment based on the use of concept maps encourages debate, questioning, opposition, and meditation, all of which help in developing critical thinking.