Mind Mapping as a Novel Method in Teaching the Morphology of Skin Lesions: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Mind mapping is a visual mapping technique used in a few disciplines of medical education to represent ideas linked to and arranged around a central core idea or topic through different subtopics/categories. We aimed to utilize this technique to teach the undergraduate medical students the morphology of skin lesions and assess its effectiveness.

This pre- and post-test quasi-experimental study was done among 144 undergraduate medical students. A total of 144 students were selected, and odd and even roll numbers were categorized into two groups using simple random sampling. Group 1 (intervention group) students were taught using mind mapping technique and Group 2 (control group) with traditional lecture-based teaching. A Computer-Assisted pre-test and post-test were carried out. A feedback questionnaire was administered to the intervention group to explore the students' perceptions regarding mind mapping as a learning tool. The data were analysed using SPSS software (version 16), and the difference in the mean pre- and post-test scores was found using independent sampled-t-test.

Pre and post-test score distribution was 5.04±1.27 and 11.44±2.52 (p-value=<0.001), respectively, in the intervention group. In the control group, the pre and post-test score distributions were 4.83±1.39 and 8.04±1.63, respectively. The mean rank of the mind mapping group was higher (76.43) than the lecture group (67.5). Among the students, 97.2% agreed on the fact that mind mapping enhanced their interest in learning, and 91.7% of the students were satisfied with mind mapping as the learning method.

To kindle the interest and develop critical thinking skills in students, faculty members should continue to explore and evaluate the efficacy of various learning and teaching strategies. Mind mapping could be a novel and integral part of conventional teaching techniques in medical education as evidenced by our student's performances.