The purpose of this study is to verify the applicability of concept mapping in the process of planning social welfare programs. Concept mapping is a kind of methods by which complicated concepts and ideas are structured and conceptualized into picture...
The purpose of this study is to verify the applicability of concept mapping in the process of planning social welfare programs. Concept mapping is a kind of methods by which complicated concepts and ideas are structured and conceptualized into pictures. The stages are in the order of preparation - collecting ideas - structuring statements - representing statements - interpreting the results of the analysis - applying the results. In this research, concept mapping was applied to the step in which the expected outcomes resulted from the problem-solving could be predicted before specific intervention activity or input is determined in the process of program planning.
The data of the ideas, came from 19 middle managers working for the social welfare centers in Pusan, over the expected outcomes which could be predicted under the assumption of when law-birthrate problem in the community is successfully solved, were collected, classified, and typified. As a result, among total 7 clusters formed, policies related to children and expansion of the services came to the strongest outcomes. When concept mapping was applied to the program planning, the consensus of the opinion came easily in the decision-making process, and the participants were empowered. In addition, clear conceptualization on each element of the program planning was made. This study, however, has limits in some aspects, such as the validity of the conceptualization and capability of the moderator.