Quality and rigor of the concept mapping methodology: a pooled study analysis.
1Concept Systems, Inc., 136 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. srosas@conceptsystems.com
Evaluation and Program Planning
|January 7, 2012
Summary
Concept mapping research demonstrates strong validity and reliability across diverse studies. This pooled analysis provides quality indicators for future concept mapping (CM) research and evaluation, enhancing methodological rigor.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Educational Research
- Program Evaluation
Background:
- Concept mapping (CM) use has grown significantly in research and evaluation over two decades.
- Lack of systematic analysis hinders identification of methodologically sound CM studies.
- Quantitative data on CM quality and rigor are needed to guide future research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a pooled analysis of 69 CM studies.
- To describe CM study characteristics across different phases.
- To generate validity and reliability indicators and examine their relationship with study features.
Main Methods:
- Pooled analysis of 69 concept mapping studies.
- Quantitative summarization of individual study characteristics and quality estimates.
- Examination of data collection variations in relation to study characteristics and quality.
Main Results:
- Concept mapping demonstrates strong internal representational validity.
- Very strong sorting and rating reliability estimates were observed.
- High validity and reliability were consistent despite variations in participation and task completion.
Conclusions:
- Concept mapping is a robust method with high validity and reliability.
- Findings offer a practical reference for assessing the quality and rigor of CM studies.
- The study provides essential indicators for enhancing future CM research and evaluation.
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