Development of a Concept Map–Based Educational Package and Its Effect on Higher Cognitive and Metacognitive Functions and Problem-Solving Strategies in Ninth-Grade Mathematics Students of Sanandaj
Keywords:
Educational package, Concept map, Meaningful learning, Problem solving, Cognitive functions, MathematicsAbstract
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a concept map–based educational package and to examine its effectiveness on higher cognitive functions, metacognitive skills, and problem-solving strategies of ninth-grade students in Sanandaj. This applied research employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design; the qualitative phase involved thematic analysis of 45 academic sources using Braun and Clarke’s framework, resulting in the identification of three core themes and the construction of a 12-session educational package, whose content validity was evaluated by five experts using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient and then piloted in a preliminary implementation. The analysis demonstrated that the educational package was structured around the themes of concept map nature, structural features, and meaningful learning, with high expert agreement across content alignment, structural coherence, time adequacy, and overall quality (mean agreement = 0.815), and preliminary implementation results indicated significant improvements in students’ higher cognitive functioning, metacognitive abilities, and problem-solving strategies. The findings confirm that the developed concept map–based educational package provides a valid, practical, and effective framework for enhancing deep and meaningful learning in mathematics education and offers a transferable instructional model for broader educational contexts.
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