Cognitive Mapping Techniques: Implications for Research in Engineering and Technology Education

The primary goal of this paper is to present the theoretical basis and application of two types of cognitive maps, concept map and mind map, and explain how they can be used by educational researchers in engineering design research. Students thrive when they are afforded problem solving opportunities in ill-structured domains that embrace inquiry and design. As the frequency of these types of problem increases in high school curricula so are growing concerns that the problem solving strategies required to adequately approach and solve them may not be supported by the techniques and pedagogy used in most classrooms (Crismond, 2011; Christian & Silk, 2011). One of the approaches to enhance problem solving in ill-structured domains is cognitive mapping. Cognitive mapping techniques can also be useful to researchers as they study students’ problem solving strategies and cognitive processes.