Formation of a system of concepts using mental maps when studying the course «Fundamentals of Life Safety»
Introduction. An insufficient level of structuring and systematization of students' subject knowledge requires the improvement of the educational process, increasing its efficiency. In this regard, the relevance of the research is due to the need to develop new principles and approaches to the construction of the educational content of the school course «Fundamentals of Life Safety» and the development of modern teaching aids for its assimilation. In particular, an attempt was made to create a system of concepts for the subject area of life safety based on the use of a sign-symbolic teaching tool. Materials and Methods. The experimental study covered 412 8th grade schoolchildren in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Sakhalin region. To assess the current state of the level of knowledge of students and the dynamics of their change as a result of experimental teaching, a questionnaire survey of students in control and experimental classes was carried out. The results obtained were subjected to level analysis according to the method of V. P. Bespalko, in order to establish significant differences in the quality of the subject training of students in the study of the school course «Fundamentals of Life Safety» (Grade 8). To determine the degree of reliability of the results of knowledge assimilation, the Student's t-test was used. Results. It was revealed that the formation of a system of concepts about man-made emergencies by means of mental maps contributes to an increase in the level of subject knowledge of students through their structuring and systematization. The results of the final section at the formative stage of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of training using the developed system of concepts about technogenic emergencies and mental maps (temp = 7.48; p <0.001). Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained can be massively applied by researchers in the field of life safety and teachers of the course «Fundamentals of life safety» (Grade 8) in their professional activities. Further study of the presented topic is possible along the way of creating a unified system of concepts for the academic subject «Fundamentals of Life Safety».