The effect of using concept maps on second year intermediate students achievement in Islamic education

This research aims to investigate the impact of employing the concept mapping strategy on the achievement of second-grade intermediate students in Islamic education and on their attitudes toward the subject. The study adopted a quasi-experimental approach using a two-group design (experimental and control), with a sample of 40 second-grade intermediate students equally divided into two groups. The experimental group was taught using interactive digital concept maps, while the control group was taught using the traditional method. The researcher used an achievement test developed to measure the level of knowledge acquisition in specific topics from the Islamic education curriculum, in addition to an attitude scale to measure students’ attitudes toward the subject. After implementing the experiment over several weeks, the results were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. The results showed a statistically significant superiority of the students in the experimental group who were taught using digital concept maps in the post-achievement test compared to those in the control group. The results also revealed a positive improvement in the attitudes of the experimental group students toward Islamic education compared to their peers in the control group. This indicates the effectiveness of using concept maps in enhancing deep understanding of the subject and increasing students’ motivation toward it. In light of these findings, the research recommends adopting digital concept maps as an educational tool in Islamic education curricula and training teachers on their use, due to their positive impact on raising the academic achievement level and fostering positive attitudes among students toward learning.