Concept Mapping

Educational concept maps (Novak-style) are node-and-link diagrams an individual draws to show how concepts connect, with labeled relationships. Trochim's concept mapping is a group, mixed-method process: participants brainstorm, sort, and rate statements, and multidimensional scaling plus cluster analysis generate a map from the aggregated sortings. The output looks different (clustered points rather than labeled links) and the purpose is structured group conceptualization for planning and evaluation, not depicting one person's knowledge.

These methods convert the participants' independent sortings into a spatial representation objectively. Multidimensional scaling places statements so that those many people grouped together appear close on the map, recovering the latent structure in the sorting data. Cluster analysis then partitions that space into thematic groups. Using analysis rather than discussion to build the map means the structure reflects the whole group's collective sorting rather than the views that dominate a conversation.

There is no fixed rule, but projects commonly involve roughly 10 to 20 or more sorters and a final edited set of around 50 to 100 statements. Too few sorters make the similarity matrix unstable; too many statements burden the sorting task. The edited statement set should be reduced from the raw brainstorm to a manageable number of single-idea, non-redundant statements before the sorting and rating phase to produce a clean, interpretable map.