Concept Maps as Assessment Tools in Mathematics: Comparison with Clinical Interviews

The thesis investigated the validity of concept maps assessments of mathematical knowledge by examining the ability of concept maps to predict the understanding of mathematical knowledge revealed on clinical interviews. The subjects of this thesis came from a traditional remedial algebra course. Data collected included transcriptions of videotaped interviews and concept maps drawn by students which were designed to investigate students' understanding of mathematics concepts of function and slope. The knowledge involved in the transcripts and interviews were categorized by the researcher and an expert separately. Then the themes that emerged in the transcripts are compared with those emerged in student maps. Qualitative analysis provided the evidence that the concept maps may tap into many aspects of mathematical knowledge that heretofore have been accessible only by way of the clinical interviews. Results suggest that network structured concept maps offer a more appropriate technique for documenting and assess mathematical knowledge than chain structure. They may allow teachers to identify and discriminate well among disparate levels of mathematical understanding.