‘Europe’ in Our Minds: Identifying Knowledge Models Using Concept Maps

Abstract

This chapter introduces concept maps as instruments for capturing mental models and linguistically bound knowledge of Europe. We present the results of five pilot studies that assessed German and Danish students’ knowledge models. First, we evaluate the concept map as an empirical instrument for determining the influence of various instruction methods and types of surveys of results. We explore the concept map’s potential as a tool that complements other methods presented in this volume. Second, we test linguistic approaches to analysing and interpreting the data. Our goal was to capture and explore concepts of Europe that may contribute to an understanding of the construction of European identity in educational settings. We target linguistically bound declarative and conceptual knowledge and associative stereotypes that are semantically linked to ‘Europe’ as forms of mental models. The findings are evaluated as representations of the actual state of learners’ factual and conceptual knowledge, which is lexically linked to the morpheme {europ}. The learners are the addressees of educational media, and thus the data may be seen as reflecting the outcome of the use of educational media.