사고 지도 활용이 초등영어 학습자의 읽기 이해 및 자기관리 역량에 미치는 영향

Effects of lessons using Thinking Maps on elementary English learners’ reading comprehension and self-management competency

This study investigates the effects of using Thinking Maps in elementary English classes on learners’ reading comprehension and self-management skills. An experimental study was conducted with 41 sixth-grade students over 16 sessions spanning 9 weeks. The experimental group learned and applied the Circle Map, Bubble Map, Double-Bubble Map, and Tree Map to organize text content during the post-reading stage. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess the impact of Thinking Maps on different text types and self-management skills. The findings are as follows: (1) Thinking Maps significantly improved reading comprehension of narrative texts. (2) Thinking Maps positively influenced learners’ self-directed skills. (3) The Tree Map and Bubble Map were more effective for expository texts, while the Double-Bubble Map and Tree Map were more effective for narrative texts. (4) Challenges included difficulty in understanding Thinking Maps concepts and limited vocabulary; solutions involved explicit instruction and the integration of educational technology. The study emphasizes the importance of effective learning strategies in elementary English reading instruction and suggests that Thinking Maps can enhance learners’ reading comprehension and self-directed learning. Important implications for teaching English reading using Thinking Maps will be further discussed.