Computer-supported collaborative concept mapping: the impact of students’ perceptions of collaboration on their knowledge understanding and behavioral patterns

Abstract

Computer-supported collaborative concept mapping (CSCCM) integrates technology and concept mapping to support students’ knowledge understanding, and much research on the behavioral patterns involved in CSCCM activities has been conducted. However, there is limited understanding of the differences in knowledge understanding and behavioral patterns between students with different levels of collaboration perception. This study examined the impact of students’ perceptions of collaboration on their knowledge understanding and behavioral patterns in the CSCCM activity. A total of 36 individuals from the same university participated in this study. The findings suggested that compared with students with a low level of collaborative perception, students with a high level of collaborative perception could obtain better conceptual knowledge understanding. However, there was no significant difference in factual knowledge understanding between students with different levels of collaboration perception. For behavioral patterns, students with a high level of collaboration perception demonstrated more diverse behavioral transition sequences, students with a middle level of collaboration perception demonstrated more repetitive behavioral sequences, and students with a low level of collaboration perception demonstrated less behavioral transition sequences. The findings of this research can provide a reference for teachers to design CSCCM activities in the classroom.