A Study on the Effect of Hierarchical Concept Mapping on Writing by Junior High School Students

概要

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The present study focuses on hierarchical concept mapping as a means to improve English writing by Japanese junior high school students. First, the paper defines hierarchical concept mapping and represents its potential for Japanese junior high school students. Then, the paper reports the results of an experiment in which hierarchical concept mapping was introduced to an English writing class at a junior high school. The researchers examined the effectiveness of this instruction for 16 junior high school students, who were categorized as beginners in English proficiency, with questionnaires and writing tasks. The effectiveness of hierarchical concept mapping was assessed by (1) the changes in the organization of a paragraph and (2) the changes in the total number of produced words and sentences. The results indicated overall improvement in students' knowledge of a good paragraph as well as their skills. In summary, paragraph writing instruction incorporating hierarchical concept mapping showed positive effects on junior high school students' writing