Investigating the Effect of Using Concept Map in Learning Bacteriology among General Medical Students in Birjand University of Medical Sciences: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Introduction: Concept mapping is one of the educational methods that facilitates a deep understanding and connection of concepts. The present study aimed to assess the effect of using concept maps on the learning of general medicine students at Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 89 general medical students at Birjand University of Medical Sciences during the academic year 2021-2022. Sampling has been done using the census method and 55 students were assigned to the control group, while 34 students were placed in the intervention group. During four sessions (90 minutes each), both groups were trained using the same teaching method (lecture). The intervention group received the necessary training on concept mapping and how to create it using X-Mind software. At the end of the teaching sessions, students were asked to draw a concept map of the lesson. Finally, a test was administered to students in both groups to assess learning outcomes. In this study, a researcher-made questionnaire was utilized to evaluate student satisfaction, and the mean test scores of the two groups were compared to assess the level of lesson learning. Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 23 using the independent t-test. Results: Based on results,56.4% of participants in the control group were female, while 35.3% of subjects in the intervention group were female. The mean score of the bacteriology course in the intervention group (14.23±3.10) was significantly higher than that in the control group (12.58±3.41) (P=0.024). The mean satisfaction score regarding the concept mapping method) In the range of 1 to 5) was 4.09. Conclusion: Considering the positive effect of concept mapping on learning and student satisfaction, it is recommended that the concept mapping method be integrated into student education.