Concept Mapping Teaching Strategy and the Academic Performance in Science of Senior High School Students Towards a Proposed Learning Action Cell

This study explored the role of concept mapping in improving academic performance, engagement, motivation, and critical thinking and problem solving, particularly in learning complex topics like the evolution of Grade 11 students. Conducted in a real classroom environment, the research involved assessing students’ academic performance before and after implementing concept mapping as a teaching strategy. The primary objective was to determine whether students’ positive assessments of concept mapping, such as ability to enhance engagement, motivation, and critical thinking and problem solving, correlated to the measurable improvements in their learning outcomes. Through statistical analysis, the study found that concept mapping significantly improved students' performance, validating it as an effective instructional strategy with potential for wider educational use. The results also demonstrated that while students acknowledged the benefits of concept mapping for organizing and visualizing complex ideas, its direct impact on their post-test scores was not statistically significant. This suggested that academic performance might be influenced by multiple factors beyond engagement, motivation, critical thinking and problem solving. Given these findings, the study emphasized the need for further investigation into optimizing concept mapping for greater academic impact. It also recommended implementing the LAC training program on concept mapping.