CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH: A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONCEPTUALIZATION CAPABILITIES AND STUDENTS’ LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS

Abstract

This research seeks to identify the relationship between conceptualization capabilities and learning achievements among students, and to discover appropriate teaching techniques for the development of learners’ conceptualizations. The research was conducted with36 undergraduate students at the Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, who were enrolled in the class “Cultural Resource Management” in the first semester of the 2011 academic year. Data were collected after students had completed the class. Data were based on two areas: 1) concept maps of cultural resource management drawn by students; 2) the final exam. Scores given to the concept maps and final exam scores were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment coefficient correlation program, and the significance was tested using the t-test statistics program. It was found that there is a moderate correlation (r = 0.56) between concept map scores and final exam scores. That is, the capability in the conceptualizations of the subject content and learning achievements are positively correlated, with the statistical significance rated at 0.1. It is, therefore, suggested that instructors should include concept map techniques in the teaching and development of their student learning process.