Investigating efficacy of concept mapping in student's learning of nursing process of pediatric patients

Concept mapping is an instructional strategy that requires learners to identify, graphically display, and link key concepts by organizing and analyzing information. The purpose of this study was to implement concept mapping as a learning strategy in a pediatric nursing process and to evaluate students learning progress through the construction of concept maps. In this pre-post, semi –experimental stady 30, students, who had enrolled in pediatric nursing clinical course, participated in this study. Participants were divided into three groups, each included 10 students. On the first day, students were asked to write a nursing process for their patients. The students prepared 8 nursing proceses through concept mapping during their clinical course, the 3 prepared conceptual maps (the map of the first day as the pre-test and the map of the day 5 and 9 as the post day) were evaluated qualitatinly and quanititatily. Through the quanlfity scoring system, the mean scores of the concepted map of students were: 5.1±1.11, 11±1.31 and 19±0.69, before intervention, on the day 5 and the day 9, respectively. The results of Freidman test and Dant test showed a significant differences in the concepted map of corses of the day 5 and 1 and the day 9 and 1 (P<0.001). The concept mapping qualifing evaluation showed a significant improvement in the concept of nursing process, which improved from the weak level in the first day to excellent level. The results of this study support the use of concept maps as an effective teaching-learning activity to integrate student’s knowledge, apply and promote their critical thinking in patient care.