Self-generated concept mapping benefits learning from grade 4 onwards with similar effect sizes across grades 4–8, 9–12, and college¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · reviewr2–r3·q3·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2021 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i2 Meta-analytic evidence shows self-generated concept mapping improves achievement (0.72 SDs overall), with consistent beneficial effects for 4th–8th graders (0.68 SDs), 9th–12th graders (0.74 SDs), and college students (0.73 SDs). → Garvin Brod 2021
Evidence¶
Garvin Brod 2021¶
Garvin Brod. (2021). Generative Learning: Which Strategies for What Age? Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09571-9
q3 · i2 · review · r2
The review reports Schroeder et al.'s meta-analysis distinguishing self-generated from provided concept maps, finding a mean effect size of 0.72 SDs on achievement scores, with larger effects against passive controls (1.05 SDs) than active controls (0.48 SDs).
"revealed that the mean size of the effect of self-generated concept mapping on students ’ achievement scores was 0.72 SDs"
Garvin Brod 2021 (2)¶
Garvin Brod. (2021). Generative Learning: Which Strategies for What Age? Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09571-9
q3 · i2 · review · r3
The same meta-analysis examined grade as a proxy for age and found "consistent beneficial effects" across grade bands, with effect sizes of 0.68, 0.74, and 0.73 SDs respectively; no differences emerged between 4th–5th and 6th–8th grade studies.
"Results indicated consistent beneficial effects across studies performed with 4th –8th graders2 (0.68 SDs), 9th–12th graders (0.74 SDs), and college students (0.73 SDs)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Graphic organizers such as concept maps improve comprehension and retention with a medium average effect; that novices benefit more rests on a few small subgroups — related
- Learner-constructed graphic organizers are not shown to outperform provided ones: the one direct test, with college readers, favoured provided organizers on transfer — related
- Concept mapping improves learning over most comparison conditions by a moderate average amount, but not over time-matched retrieval practice — a broader claim this one bears on
- Concept mapping has a moderate overall positive effect on science achievement for elementary and secondary students (g = 0.776) — a broader claim this one bears on
- Generating predictions is effective from lower elementary grades onward, with children benefiting more from predicting than from generating examples — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
concept-mapping-effective-grade-4-onwards |
title |
Self-generated concept mapping benefits learning from grade 4 onwards with similar effect sizes across grades 4–8, 9–12, and college |
description |
Self-generated concept mapping benefits learning from grade 4 onwards with similar effect sizes across grades 4–8, 9–12, and college |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2021 |
source_checked |
2026-10-22 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — garvin-brod-2021, garvin-brod-2021-2 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.