CONCEPT MAPS AS DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS IN ASSESSING THE ACQUISITION AND RETENTION OF KNOWLEDGE IN BIOCHEMISTRY

This paper shows the possibility of applying concept maps as diagnostic tools in assessing knowledge. The authors introduce the terms "ideal knowledge structure", "desired knowledge structure" and "real knowledge structure" as milestones in indicating levels of acquired knowledge. The role of concept mapping in the diagnostics of knowledge was tested in the secondary-school leaching of biochemistry The pedagogical experiment was performed with secondary-school students form Novi Sad (Serbia). Students were tested in two biochemical topics (nucleic acids and protein synthesis) and concept maps were created for the results of each student after final and retention tests. A comparison of the desired knowledge structure and the real knowledge structure revealed the possible application of concept maps: in establishing the level of acquired knowledge; in illustrating students' efforts and ability to learn biochemical content; and as indicators of the level of the retention of knowledge and of the efficiency of the applied teaching method. Through concept maps, teachers can evaluate their own performance and gain important feedback on their own work.