Clinical Research Directory

Visualizing Thought Through Mind Mapping: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills Among Nursing Students

This study will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the mind mapping method in enhancing nursing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The study will be conducted using a randomized controlled experimental design. The study will be conducted at the Faculty of Nursing at Gazi University, located in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The study population will consist of students (n=80) enrolled in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course at the Faculty of Nursing, Gazi University, during the 2025-2026 academic year. The research will be conducted in a randomised controlled experimental design (n=65). All students will be administered the "Demographic Information Form," the "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale," and the "Problem-Solving Inventory" as pre-tests. Subsequently, students who volunteer to participate in the study will be selected based on inclusion criteria. The students will be assigned to two separate groups using stratified randomization based on their scale point means. The implementation phase of the study will be conducted over five weeks in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course. The researchers have developed five distinct case studies to be discussed in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course. One case study will be covered each week. The case studies address infection control, medication administration, patient safety and medical errors, ethical issues, and systematic approaches. Different teaching methods will be applied to the experimental and control groups simultaneously during the course's scheduled days and times. The subject of the lesson for that day will be covered in 40-50 minutes. After that, the experimental and control groups will be assigned to two separate classrooms for the remaining part of the lesson. Participants in the control group and those excluded from the study will continue with the course's regular flow under the guidance of the course instructor. During the course, they will cover the subject matter usingthe case analysis methods. In the experimental group, students will be divided into small groups of 4-5 people. Over the course of five weeks, they will create mind maps on a different topic each week. Groups will be given approximately 20-30 minutes to create their mind maps. During this process, groups will be expected to prepare their mind maps in a visual format, either using pen and paper or, if they prefer, various web-based programs. At the end of the allotted time, all groups will present the mind maps they have prepared, and these will be discussed. Once all mind mapping presentations are complete, the final test will be administered at the end of the five weeks. All students will take the "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale" and the "Problem Solving Inventory" as the final test. Research data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. A significance level of p \< 0.05 will be accepted.