This study aims to examine the changes resulting from the implementation of a writing model developed based on the creation of concept maps and concept networks. The study was conducted as an experimental research using a quantitative research methodology and a one-group pretest–posttest design. The study group consisted of 30 third-year teacher candidates enrolled in the Turkish Language Teaching Program at a Faculty of Education. The data were collected within the scope of the Writing Education course. Prior to the intervention, participants were asked to write an informative text on a predetermined topic using a conventional writing approach and without any prior preparation. These texts were evaluated as the pretest. Subsequently, the writing model based on concept maps and concept networks, developed by the researcher, was implemented over a four-week period (12 class hours). During the instructional process, students were guided to identify concepts related to the topic, establish hierarchical and semantic relationships among these concepts, organize these relationships through rhetorical structures, and plan and produce their texts in accordance with the conceptual structures they developed. Following the intervention, participants were asked to write another informative text on a different topic, and these texts were evaluated as the posttest. The pretest and posttest texts were scored by three faculty members specializing in Turkish language education using a rubric developed by the researchers, focusing on the dimensions of coherence/cohesion and richness of expression. The mean of the experts’ scores was accepted as the participants’ achievement score. The data were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test. The findings revealed that the writing model based on the construction of concept maps and concept networks significantly improved students’ overall writing achievement and richness of expression at the statistical level. However, no statistically significant difference was found in the coherence and cohesion levels of the texts. Based on these findings, it was concluded that concept maps constitute an effective instructional tool, particularly for enriching written expression by enabling students to elaborate on a topic from different perspectives and develop original viewpoints.
Concept map, concept network, writing instruction, informative writing, Turkish language education.