Concept mapping strategy: An effective tool for improving maternity nursing students’ achievement

Abstract

Background: One of the duties of the educational system is to train nursing students to possess critical and creative thinking and have the ability of problem solving, those who do not accumulate information and knowledge regarding the maternity field that will be quickly outdated. As well, these criteria need to be provided in maternity nursing, to be able to achieve the mother and neonate safety. Concept map is one of the teaching strategies that can overcome this challenge. Aim of the study: To evaluate the effect of concept mapping strategy for improving maternity nursing students’ achievement.

Methods: Design: A quasi-experimental study design was used to conduct the study. Setting: The study was conducted at the Maternity and Neonatal Health Nursing Department (third year students), in the Faculty of Nursing, Fayoum University. Subjects and Methods: A total of 125 students, all the students enrolled in the academic years 2014/2015. The students in the first term were the control group (65) and subjected to traditional method of teaching; and students in second term were the study group (60) subjected to concept map strategy. Tools used to collect the data were: 1) Sociodemographic characteristic: A structured interviewing questionnaire, 2) Pre/posttest to assess student’s (study group) knowledge regarding concept mapping, 3) Student's achievement test (midterm & final exam), 4) Rubric for assessing concept maps, and 5) Likert scale to assess the attitude of students toward the teaching strategy.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference regarding concept map knowledge pre and after awareness sessions among the study group.  As well, there was a significant difference between both groups regarding the students’ achievement (midterm & final exam). In addition the students in the study group exhibit positive attitude regarding the teaching strategy (concept map) more than the students in the control group (traditional method).

Conclusions: Concept mapping significantly enhanced the students’ achievement in the maternity nursing during the pregnancy course.