Does constructivist approach applicable through concept maps to achieve meaningful learning in Science?

Concept map is a kind of constructivist approach, provides group activity in science learning. Where, students are active, and teachers are passive. Learner’s cooperative learning gives better performance than individual activity. In the recent study, it is found cooperative learning is better than individual learning and out of two concept maps (e.g. spider and hierarchical), spider concept maps are more helpful to enlarge knowledge structure than hierarchical map. From the research, the investigator showed students feel better on both spiders concept map and hierarchical concept map. So far, assessment of concept map is an easy technique however, traditional assessments are mostly measures the objectivity of the learning, and evaluate the student’s achievement in the form of marks. Nevertheless, concept map assesses student’s subjectivity and it interprets in the form of marking and grading. Concept map is a prominent assessment tool and its scoring technique assesses the actual knowledge structure of the students. For that, expert concept map is the standard, it assesses the maximum number of concepts, links, and propositions, and it helps the student’s map to count number of propositions and concepts at their level. In this assessment technique, the score represent the student’s actual understanding and their subsequent knowledge structure. Some evidence from other researchers, like; Goodman, 1984; Mason, 1992; Minstrell, 1989; are found that concept mapping helps in meaning mapping in science learning and has directly put impact on achievement. Therefore, the present study has come under the Novakian area of search and the finding also importance to the world of education. Hence, the cooperative (collaborative) learning an important attribute in the curriculum so as to educating students for coping in today’s world.