Effectiveness of Concept Mapping as a Teaching Method on Nursing Students’ Understanding in Compare to Traditional Teaching Method at College of Nursing
Nursing education increasingly requires teaching strategies that enhance students’ understanding, critical thinking, and knowledge integration. Traditional lecture-based teaching methods remain widely used but may limit students’ engagement and conceptual learning. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of concept mapping compared with traditional teaching methods in improving nursing students’ understanding. This quasi-experimental study was conducted from September 1st, 2024, to February 13th, 2025, among nursing students at the College of Nursing using convenience sampling. Participants were divided into two groups: an intervention group taught using concept mapping and a control group taught using the traditional lecture-based teaching method. Data were collected using a structured sociodemographic form and students’ midterm and final examination scores. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. A total of 61 nursing students participated in the study, including 33 (54.1%) in the intervention group and 28 (45.9%) in the control group. The findings revealed that the intervention group achieved significantly higher mean scores in both the midterm examination (45.76 ± 3.54 vs. 39.83 ± 7.10; p < 0.001) and the final examination (39.99 ± 4.55 vs. 35.95 ± 7.65; p = 0.013) compared with the control group. Concept mapping significantly improved nursing students’ academic performance compared with traditional lecture-based teaching methods. Incorporating concept mapping into nursing education may enhance students’ understanding, promote meaningful learning, and support the development of higher-order cognitive skills.