Authors

Purpose

Sample Size

Design

Main Findings

Atay and Karabacak (2012), Turkey

To analyze the effects of care plans prepared using concept maps on the critical thinking dispositions of students.

n = 80

(Females were in the majority for both groups)

Experimental design with pre-post test.

There were significant differences between concept map care plan evaluation criteria mean scores of the experimental students (t = 5.37, p < 0.05).

Chen et al. (2011), Taiwan

To explore the effects of concept mapping in developing critical thinking ability and approach to learning and studying.

n = 95

(The mean age was 21.98 years)

Quasi-experimental design

Concept mapping is an effective tool for improving students’ ability to think critically.

(The adjusted means of overall critical thinking (F [1, 94] = 6.67, p = 0.01)).

Farrag (2017), Egypt

To evaluate the effect of concept mapping strategy for improving maternity nursing students’ achievement.

n = 125

(The table indicates that the mean age of the study and control groups was 19.88 ±0.39 and 20.91 ±0.50 respectively)

Quasi-experimental design

Concept mapping significantly enhanced the students’ achievement in the maternity nursing during the pregnancy course (t = −13.1, p < 0.001).

Hagell et al. (2016), Sweden

To explore group concept mapping as a tool for evaluation and development within nursing education.

n = 47

(The participants were 47 (40) females)

Mixed method

Group concept mapping is an interactive participant centered approach to evaluation, planning and development in nursing education.

Jaafarpour et al. (2016), Iran

To assess the concept mapping as a teaching method in the academic achievement of nursing students.

n = 46

(30 (46.87%) were males and 34 (53.13%) were females)

Quasi-experimental design

Concept mapping has a positive effect on students’ academic achievement. These findings could provide valuable evidence for establishing concept mapping as a continuous teaching strategy for nursing students (The results of paired t-test revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of CMs (p < 0.001)).

Kaddoura et al. (2016), USA

To explore the development of critical thinking among nursing students in a required pathophysiology and pharmacology course during the first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in response to concept mapping as an interventional strategy, using the Health Education Systems, Incorporated critical thinking test.

n = 42

(8 male and 33 female)

Two-group experimental study

Students in the concept mapping group performed much better on the Health Education Systems than students in the control group (students taught with concept mapping increased their critical thinking scores by 84.15 points upon exit from the course, compared with 25.24 points among students not exposed to concept mapping (p value < 0.0001)).