Visualizing Social Science Research: Maps, Methods, & Meaning

Beyond the tools: analysing personal and group learning environments in a university course / Más allá de la tecnología: análisis de los entornos de aprendizaje personales y grupales de estudiantes en una asignatura universitaria

“…Los mapas mentales se han utilizado como estrategia didáctica y como técnica para reunir datos en investigación cualitativa (Wheeldon y Ahlberg, 2012). En este caso resultan especialmente interesantes porque focalizan en un tema o idea central y "radian" hacia afuera ideas asociadas, basadas en relaciones y ejemplos y, si son elaborados de manera libre por los sujetos con mínimas instrucciones por parte del investigador, promueven la reflexión de los participantes (Wheeldon y Ahlberg, 2012).…”

Learning Outcomes in an Introductory Sociology Course: The Role of Learning Approach, Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Group and Teacher Effects

“…The end result is a diagram that reflects the highly personal ways of thinking and understanding of the author. Besides, concepts, i.e., pieces of information as "nodes", are just as important as the links between them-and both these aspects reflect very well the considerations of cognitive learning theory, namely that the student has to be able to form a connection between parts, and especially between their existing knowledge and new information, based on a personal understanding of the material [38] (pp. 25-27, 79-80).…”

“…Notably, diagrams help the respondent express what might be difficult to articulate in writing or speech, the influence of the researcher on responses given in this form is minimal, and a unique data structure is created, which opens up the possibility of both qualitative and quantitative analysis [38,40]. In both T1 and T2, our respondents drew a mind map around the central concept of "Sociology" (this was the only instruction).…”

“…Diagrammatic elicitation, that is, the use of diagrams in data gathering, has many advantages [39]. Notably, diagrams help the respondent express what might be difficult to articulate in writing or speech, the influence of the researcher on responses given in this form is minimal, and a unique data structure is created, which opens up the possibility of both qualitative and quantitative analysis [38,40].…”

“…Concepts can form chains and branches, and can also be connected by cross-links (see examples on Figures 1 and 2). The diagram allows so much freedom that besides words, small signs and pictures can also be added, parts can be of any color, lines of any width the creator likes [38] (pp. 21-24).…”