Thinking Foundation - Research

Research
Action Research

Action research is research that describes how humans and organizations behave in the outside world and is also a change mechanism that helps human and organizations reflect on and change their own systems (Reason & Bradbury, 2001). After six decades of action research development, many methodologies have been evolved, ranging:

from those that are more driven by the researcher’s agenda to those more driven by participants;
from those that are motivated primarily by instrumental goal attainment to those motivated primarily by the aim of personal, organizational, or societal transformation; and
from 1st-, to 2nd-, to 3rd-person research (i.e. my research on my own action, aimed primarily at personal change; our research on our group (family/team), aimed primarily at improving the group; and ‘scholarly’ research aimed primarily at theoretical generalization and/or large scale change).

Using Thinking Maps to Facilitate Research Writing in Upper Level Undergraduate Classes
Margie Lee Gallagher, East Carolina University
Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Education, 29(2), Fall/Winter 2011
It is increasingly important that students who intend to become nutrition professionals acquire the skills to routinely read, understand, and critically evaluate the primary research literature in nutrition. American Dietetic Associate (ADA) accreditation standards require that the undergraduate curriculum include evaluation of primary literature. Hierarchical and sequence thinking maps were used to assist students in developing a process for obtaining the necessary skills in critical evaluation of the literature in an increasingly complex area, nutrition sciences.
Download the article Using Thinking Maps to Facilitate Research Writing in Upper Level Undergraduate Classes (Acrobat PDF file)

The Effect of Thinking Maps on Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills
Laura A. Weis
California State University, Northridge, 2011
TIn Advanced Placement Environmental Science, students are required to demonstrate higher order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Thinking Maps are a specific series of graphic organizer’s produced by and educational consultant company and created by David Hyerle. Thinking Maps claim to increase students’ higher order thinking skills, but no peer-reviewed research has been completed on the success or usefulness of these graphic organizers. In order to determine the effect of Thinking Maps on students higher order thinking skills, student ability to compare and contrast and students essay scores were compared in essays given before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Students’ surveys were analyzed before and after Thinking Maps instruction on students’ use of Thinking Maps. Field notes were collected. After Thinking Maps instruction, students’ ability to compare and contrast increased by 69%; students’ essay scores increased by 16%. Both of these changes are statistically relevant. Student’s study habits and practices were surveyed before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Insignificant change in students reported study habits occurred before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Field notes were used to support these findings.
Download the paper The Effect of Thinking Maps on Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills (Acrobat PDF file)

Changing Teachers' Perceptions and Expectations
Steve Hemming
Richfield Middle School, Minnesota, USA, September, 2008
Thinking Maps are essential tools in brid;ing the cultural gap between teachers and students because they address three related factors. First of all, each of the eight Thinking Maps facilitates the development of one of the cognitive skills that are critical to learning and are also identified in all the State standards as skills students must have. Students need to be able to define and generalize concepts or themes; describe, identify, categorizey and organize details; compare and contrast; sequence; identify cause and effect; anal yze parts of a whole and understand analogies. Second, thinkng maps provide a languge base for thinking and learning that allows teachers and students to communicate with precision, thus bridging the cultural gap. Equally important is that they provide shdents with the tools for building competence in learning and communication, with confidence.
Download the paper Changing Teachers' Perceptions and Expectations (Acrobat PDF file)

Implementing and Promoting Library Programs
Through Action Research
Marilyn Z. Joyce and Barbara Stein Martin
Presented at American Association of School Librarians conference, October, 2005
The research paper addresses the following questions:

How does the use of “thinking maps” affect a student’s enjoyment of story time, which is a precursor of a student’s enjoyment of reading?

Will students begin to determine by themselves which map(s) can be used to illustrate thinking about the story?

To what degree do teachers (who are present during story time) show an interest in the maps and actually use them in their classrooms?

Download the paper Implementing and Promoting Library Programs Through Action Research (Acrobat PDF file)

The Effects of “Thinking Maps” Implementation on Increasing Student Reading Achievement
Becky Pearson - September, 2003
The action research study investigates the correlation and impact of the utilization of Thinking Maps on student achievement in the area of reading, with an aim to develop a strong rationale for the continued development and utilization of this instructional strategy and ultimately, increase reading achievement levels for the students of Nebo Elementary.
Download the paper The Effects of “Thinking Maps” Implementation on Increasing Student Reading Achievement (Acrobat PDF file)

Visualizing Thought Process Helps Students
Transition to High School
Plymouth Regional High School
Apple Learning Exchange
“Our special education students work with the same case manager for four years. This unique situation allows us to work closely together in creating post secondary goals and in identifying and taking the steps necessary to reach those goals... We have found the tool of Thinking Maps®.”
Online teaching practice including The Lesson, Assessment, Student Work, Reflections, Video Clips, Research, and more.
Read and view the multi-media article online




		Research Action Research Action research is research that describes how humans and organizations behave in the outside world and is also a change mechanism that helps human and organizations reflect on and change their own systems (Reason & Bradbury, 2001). After six decades of action research development, many methodologies have been evolved, ranging: from those that are more driven by the researcher’s agenda to those more driven by participants; from those that are motivated primarily by instrumental goal attainment to those motivated primarily by the aim of personal, organizational, or societal transformation; and from 1st-, to 2nd-, to 3rd-person research (i.e. my research on my own action, aimed primarily at personal change; our research on our group (family/team), aimed primarily at improving the group; and ‘scholarly’ research aimed primarily at theoretical generalization and/or large scale change). Using Thinking Maps to Facilitate Research Writing in Upper Level Undergraduate Classes Margie Lee Gallagher, East Carolina University Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Education, 29(2), Fall/Winter 2011 It is increasingly important that students who intend to become nutrition professionals acquire the skills to routinely read, understand, and critically evaluate the primary research literature in nutrition. American Dietetic Associate (ADA) accreditation standards require that the undergraduate curriculum include evaluation of primary literature. Hierarchical and sequence thinking maps were used to assist students in developing a process for obtaining the necessary skills in critical evaluation of the literature in an increasingly complex area, nutrition sciences. Download the article Using Thinking Maps to Facilitate Research Writing in Upper Level Undergraduate Classes (Acrobat PDF file) The Effect of Thinking Maps on Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills Laura A. Weis California State University, Northridge, 2011 TIn Advanced Placement Environmental Science, students are required to demonstrate higher order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Thinking Maps are a specific series of graphic organizer’s produced by and educational consultant company and created by David Hyerle. Thinking Maps claim to increase students’ higher order thinking skills, but no peer-reviewed research has been completed on the success or usefulness of these graphic organizers. In order to determine the effect of Thinking Maps on students higher order thinking skills, student ability to compare and contrast and students essay scores were compared in essays given before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Students’ surveys were analyzed before and after Thinking Maps instruction on students’ use of Thinking Maps. Field notes were collected. After Thinking Maps instruction, students’ ability to compare and contrast increased by 69%; students’ essay scores increased by 16%. Both of these changes are statistically relevant. Student’s study habits and practices were surveyed before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Insignificant change in students reported study habits occurred before and after Thinking Maps instruction. Field notes were used to support these findings. Download the paper The Effect of Thinking Maps on Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills (Acrobat PDF file) Changing Teachers' Perceptions and Expectations Steve Hemming Richfield Middle School, Minnesota, USA, September, 2008 Thinking Maps are essential tools in brid;ing the cultural gap between teachers and students because they address three related factors. First of all, each of the eight Thinking Maps facilitates the development of one of the cognitive skills that are critical to learning and are also identified in all the State standards as skills students must have. Students need to be able to define and generalize concepts or themes; describe, identify, categorizey and organize details; compare and contrast; sequence; identify cause and effect; anal yze parts of a whole and understand analogies. Second, thinkng maps provide a languge base for thinking and learning that allows teachers and students to communicate with precision, thus bridging the cultural gap. Equally important is that they provide shdents with the tools for building competence in learning and communication, with confidence. Download the paper Changing Teachers' Perceptions and Expectations (Acrobat PDF file) Implementing and Promoting Library Programs Through Action Research Marilyn Z. Joyce and Barbara Stein Martin Presented at American Association of School Librarians conference, October, 2005 The research paper addresses the following questions: How does the use of “thinking maps” affect a student’s enjoyment of story time, which is a precursor of a student’s enjoyment of reading? Will students begin to determine by themselves which map(s) can be used to illustrate thinking about the story? To what degree do teachers (who are present during story time) show an interest in the maps and actually use them in their classrooms? Download the paper Implementing and Promoting Library Programs Through Action Research (Acrobat PDF file) The Effects of “Thinking Maps” Implementation on Increasing Student Reading Achievement Becky Pearson - September, 2003 The action research study investigates the correlation and impact of the utilization of Thinking Maps on student achievement in the area of reading, with an aim to develop a strong rationale for the continued development and utilization of this instructional strategy and ultimately, increase reading achievement levels for the students of Nebo Elementary. Download the paper The Effects of “Thinking Maps” Implementation on Increasing Student Reading Achievement (Acrobat PDF file) Visualizing Thought Process Helps Students Transition to High School Plymouth Regional High School Apple Learning Exchange “Our special education students work with the same case manager for four years. This unique situation allows us to work closely together in creating post secondary goals and in identifying and taking the steps necessary to reach those goals... We have found the tool of Thinking Maps®.” Online teaching practice including The Lesson, Assessment, Student Work, Reflections, Video Clips, Research, and more. Read and view the multi-media article online