Supports for deeper learning of inquiry-based ecosystem science in virtual environments - Comparing virtual and physical concept mapping

Concept mapping is an important tool used in science learning to help students construct understanding about fundamental concepts and how they are related. The EcoXPT research project has the goal of supporting authentic experiment-based inquiry within an immersive virtual world curriculum for middle school ecosystem science. It builds on prior research with the EcoMUVE curriculum, which includes, as a culminating activity, student teams creating hand-drawn concept maps to represent their hypotheses about the causal relationships in a virtual ecosystem. As part of the initial Design-Based Research phase of EcoXPT, researchers developed a new electronic concept mapping tool which was piloted with the EcoMUVE curriculum. This study looks at differences in concept maps drawn by student teams based on whether they were given access to the new concept-mapping tool. The findings provide insight into the impact of concept map scaffolding choices, and inform the design of future versions of the tool.