A systematic review of concept mapping dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify, summarize, and synthesize all doctoral dissertations completed using Trochim's concept mapping methodology between 1985 and 2014. A comprehensive search produced a set of 108 eligible dissertations; of which 104 were available as full-text or hard copy. The studies were coded on 77 variables, which were summarized in descriptive analyses. The dissertations were conducted in a wide variety of topic areas and completed at 35 different universities in the US and Canada. On comparable variables, the results were similar to two prior syntheses (Trochim, 1993; Rosas & Kane, 2012). The mean multidimensional scaling analysis stress value for 96 concept maps was 0.26 with a standard deviation of 0.05. Cumulative rates of dissertation completion and resulting citations of the dissertations and any resulting articles were plotted over the study period. Reliability and validity were considered in most studies but formally assessed in a minority of cases. The review concludes with a summary of findings and thoughts about future studies.