Mind Mapping: Impact on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

NCT07548658 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: E.1500206
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 65
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the mind mapping method in enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills among nursing students. The study will be conducted with 65 nursing students enrolled in a "Critical Thinking in Nursing" course at Gazi University during the 2025-2026 academic year. Participants will be assigned to experimental and control groups using stratified randomization based on pre-test scores from the "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale" and the "Problem-Solving Inventory." The five-week intervention focuses on five clinical case studies: infection control, medication administration, patient safety, ethical issues, and systematic approaches. While both groups receive the same theoretical content, they follow different practical methodologies: The Control Group will engage in standard case analysis methods. The Experimental Group will work in small teams (4-5 students) to create and present visual mind maps for each case study, using either traditional or digital tools. Following the intervention, both groups will complete post-tests to assess changes in their critical thinking and problem-solving competencies.

Conditions

Mind Mapping; Nursing Students; Critical Thinking

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale

  The Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale, consists of 28 items and 6 subscales. The scale uses a 5-point Likert scale, with responses ranging from 1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = usually, to 5 = always. The scale's subscales include: reasoning (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), reaching a judgment (items 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), seeking evidence (items 13, 14, 15, 16), truth-seeking (items 17, 18, 19, 20), open-mindedness (items 21, 22, 23, 24), and systematicity (items 25, 26, 27, 28). Scores range from a minimum of 28 to a maximum of 140. A high score on any of the scale's subscales indicates that the individual possesses the trait associated with that subscale, and a total score for critical thinking tendencies can be obtained from the scale. The scale's Cronbach's Alpha value is 0.91.

  one week and five weeks after the intervention

• Problem-Solving Inventory

  The Problem-Solving Inventory was developed to measure not only how individuals perceive their own ability to solve problems but also the dimensions of problem-solving methods. In the scoring of the scale, items are rated on a scale from 1 to 6, ranging from "I always behave this way" to "I never behave this way." The lowest possible score on the scale is 32, and the highest is 192. A low score indicates high problem-solving ability, while a high score indicates weak problem-solving ability. The scale is a six-point Likert-type scale consisting of 35 items. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the original scale was .90, while the reliability coefficient found in the Turkish adaptation study was .88.

  one week and five weeks after the intervention

Study Arms (2)

mind mapping

EXPERIMENTAL

They will create mind maps on five different topics. The primary intervention is mind mapping; no additional medical drugs or devices are used in this study.

Other: Mind mapping

control group

NO INTERVENTION

They will conduct the course using traditional methods over a five-week period.

Interventions

Mind mapping OTHER

They will create mind maps on five different topics.

mind mapping

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Students who are enrolling in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course for the first time and
• who volunteer to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Students who have previously taken the critical thinking course
• The student's refusal to continue participating in the study or failure to complete the data collection forms.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Gazi University: lead

Central Study Contacts

Evrim EYİKARA SARITAŞ

CONTACT

+905435061405; evrimeyikara@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant professor, Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 17, 2026
• First Posted: April 23, 2026
• Study Start: April 22, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 29, 2026
• Last Updated: April 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share