A New Validation Method for Defining Concept Map Categories

Abstract

This paper describes a new method for developing and refining the categories into which the concepts of a collection of concept maps may be classified. The method is used to develop a set of ten categories into which concepts relating to the domain of ‘process safety’ may be assigned. The categories created were used to analyse 103 concept maps that were generated by second year undergraduate chemical engineering students. The method involved defining ten different categories into which the process safety concepts could be assigned. Each map was then analysed independently by three different assessors who each bring different perspectives on the topic to the analysis. Each assessor assi..