Abstract for: Exploring the mutual benefits of collaboration with Concept Mapping – preliminary results and some puzzles

Concept mapping (CM) is a field which initiated in educational research and expanded into educational practice and knowledge. CM often deals with complex subjects from science, economics and management, where system dynamics (SD) is also present, and its proponents have developed rigorous methods to analyze and compare such maps. We have compared the use, the structure and the comparison methods between CM and SD and identified conceptual compatibility and some methodical complementarities: SD diagrams of mental models of dynamic systems (MMDS) can be interpreted as CMs and CM comparison methods for large samples can be applied in MMDS research; also the rigour of SD modelling can become a vehicle for integrative reconciliation of knowledge and thus SD can become a relevant tool for educational researchers. We show these aspects on a conceptual level and using a simple illustrative example. We conclude by proposing some relevant research questions.