Developing causal understanding with causal maps: the impact of total links, temporal flow, and lateral position of outcome nodes |
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| Authors: | Allan Jeong Woon Jee Lee |
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| Institution: | (1) Instructional Systems Program, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA |
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| Abstract: | This study examined some of the methodological approaches used by students to construct causal maps in order to determine
which approaches help students understand the underlying causes and causal mechanisms in a complex system. This study tested
the relationship between causal understanding (ratio of root causes correctly/incorrectly identified, number of correctly
identified root-cause links explaining how root causes directly/indirectly impact final outcomes) and three attributes observed
in students’ causal maps (total links, temporal flow, lateral position of final outcome) that students produced before and
after online discussions on noted similarities and differences between students’ causal maps. The findings suggest that: (a)
causal understanding can be adversely affected if students are instructed before group discussion to temporally sequence nodes to flow from left to right and to
position the outcome node farther away from the left edge of the map relative to other nodes in the map; (b) causal understanding
following group discussion can be increased by instructing students to minimize the number of causal links and create a map with temporally flow; (c) promoting temporal
flow following discussion may be the most effective means of helping students to identify root causes; and (d) instructing
students to minimize the number of links following discussion may be the most effective means to helping students explain
root causes directly/indirectly impact outcomes. These findings provide insights on what processes and constraints can be
formalized and integrated into causal mapping software when used as an instructional and assessment tool. |
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