Abstract

The word association test is a tool suitable for analysing students’ knowledge structure. Using association maps, it can describe the quantitative and qualitative features of the stimulus words and associations as well as their interconnectedness. Our study demonstrates application of the method through the analysis of 4th and 7th graders’ conceptual structures related to renewable energy sources. The results showed a more complex conceptual structure resulting from the 7th graders’ age, a more complex conceptual system in city learners and a more coherent knowledge in boys. Due to its expressive and informative nature, the word association test is an ancillary evaluation method recommended to teachers as well, with the simplification that in their case it would be sufficient to analyse the quantity and quality of the associations and, based on these, create an association map given the fact that the latter simultaneously shows the nature of the relationships between the stimulus words, too.

Megjelenés:
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION – Nº 2, Vol. 18, p. 109-113, 2017, ISSN 0124-5481.