January 2012 Volume 15 Number 1 - Educational Technology ...

Figure 1. The five stages of KT (Gilbert & Cordey-Hayes, 1996)
Acquisition. Knowledge acquisition is the first step of KT. Before the knowledge is able to be transferred, it has to be
acquired. A student might learn from various sources: direct experience, mass media, schools, parents, and so on.
Sources of knowledge influence the type of knowledge acquired.
Novak and Gowin (1984) claimed that CMs can be viewed as a schematic device for representing a set of concepts
and meanings embedded in a framework of propositions, as a tool for students to examine their prior knowledge.
Therefore, CM is a particularly good way of organizing information related to a problem or subject. The construction
of CMs help us pull together information already known about a subject while integrating new information as we
learn and expand our understanding (Akinsanya & Williams, 2004). Some studies also propose that CM provide
learners with a key scaffold to help them relate concrete examples to the conceptual structures and help retain the
information to be learned through graphic formats (Reader & Hammond, 1994; Adamczyk, Willison, & Williams,
1994).
Accordingly, we considered that CMs help students understand new knowledge. Thus, the stage of acquisition in KT
occurs. Students’ acquisition of new knowledge is often affected by their past knowledge and sources of new
knowledge.
Communication. Once the knowledge is acquired, communication follows. Communication increases knowledge and
understanding, which enriches prior knowledge and stimulates new thoughts. Individuals use this process to enhance
the effectiveness of KT. Thus, fluent communication ought to be established in advance in order to lead the whole
model to be efficient. In particular, communication mechanisms and barriers need to be identified to encourage KT.
KT is a process through which the individuals are affected by another experience produced by knowledge. And
knowledge can be transferred by moving tools and technologies, routines, and networks. Any transfer does not exist
in one party. The movement should occur between a source, where the knowledge is acquired from and a recipient,
to whom the knowledge is transmitted. Learners often share and transmit the acquired knowledge to others who do
not possess this knowledge. This kind of learning approach is similar to a collaboration style. Many studies present
collaboration as a result of successful interaction between parties. The students were able to engage in a discussion to
consider the knowledge context (Kao, Lin, & Sun, 2008; Kwon & Cifuentes, 2007). Studies argue that CM can be
used to display individual knowledge structures for comparison at different stages of the learning process, and to
distinguish between expert and novice knowledge structures (Kinchin, 2001). Furthermore, Cicognani (2000)
claimed that CM is viewed as a collaborative strategy, is applied to learning communication, and is described as a
process through which one or more participants use brainstorming techniques. Consequently, CM is a reflective
process in which students engaged in a rich discussion about how and why the concepts are related.
CM helps students not only understand the relationships among concepts, but also communicate this understanding
to their classmates. Through discussion, individuals could understand better what they had leaned and modify it to be
more clear and comprehensive. That procedure benefits all participants. Previous studies emphasize the relationships
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