Concept mapping influencing students' ability to summarize reading passages

Abstract

Concept mapping has been advocated as a facilitative tool for enhancing meaningful learning of reading comprehension of students in several ways. In particular, this strategy positively influences how students comprehend texts and summarize important ideas or information given in a particular text passage. However, research into the effects of concept mapping on students’ ability to summarize passages has not been explored in the context of teaching and learning foreign languages inVietnam. This paper therefore examines the effects of concept mapping on students’ ability to summarize reading passages within a community college context in the Mekong Delta. Using an experimental study, pretest, posttest, and questionnaire were undertaken with twenty six sophomores over the second semester of a reading course. The findings show that concept mapping had positive effects on students’ ability to summarize reading passages and that students perceived the use of this reading strategy as being a facilitative tool for meaningful learning. The paper concludes by discussing the pedagogical implications and insights into the relationship between concept mapping and summarizing skills in reading comprehension in wider contexts.