Using Self-Organizing Neural Network Map Combined with Ward’s Clustering Algorithm for Visualization of Students’ Cognitive Structural Models about Aliveness Concept

Table 1

Conceptual understanding test.

Questions		Aim
1	Write the names of the first 10 living things coming to your mind.	Uncovering which living thing is primarily associated with the aliveness concept.
2	It is estimated that there are millions of species living on Earth. If you were asked to classify all the living things (types, species) into main groups, without leaving anyone out, at least how many groups could you form?	Uncovering which properties of the living things are paid attentions by the students while dividing them into groups, how they created their own taxonomic groups, how they expressed this conceptually, or how they called the groups.
3	When considering the all living things, what is the place (position) of human? Please explain.	Clarifying the reasons why the students evaluated the human in a separate category while grouping the living things in the nature based on their own statements.