Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the research-1

1.2 The significance and purpose of the study-1

1.3 Organization of the thesis-2

2. Literature Review-3

2.1 Mind map and learning-3

2.1.1 The concept of mind map-3

2.1.2 The role of mind map in learning-3

2.1.3 The previous studies of mind map-4

2.2 Word map and vocabulary retention-6

2.2.1 The concept of word map-6

2.2.2 Word map and vocabulary retention-7

2.2.3 Elements of word map-7

2.2.4 Types of word map-8

3. Research Design-10

3.1 Research questions-10

3.2 Participants-10

3.3 Research tools-10

3.4 Procedure-11

3.5  A teaching case-12

4. Results and Discussion-14

4.1 Data analysis of the tests-14

4.2 The analysis of the questionnaires-16

5. Conclusion-19

5.1 Major Findings-19

5.2-Limitations and future expectations-19

Reference-21

Appendix I-23