Mind MappingMind mappingNCT07548658
Mind Mapping: Impact on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
A study testing Mind mapping in people with Mind Mapping and Nursing Students, run by Gazi University.
Trial 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… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Mind Mapping, Nursing Students, Critical Thinking
- What is being tested?
- Mind mapping
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 65 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 22 Apr 2026to 29 May 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Students who are enrolling in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course for the first time and
- who volunteer to participate in the study
Who cannot join
- 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.
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Visualizing Thought Through Mind Mapping: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills Among Nursing Students
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:
Read more
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.
Read the detailed description
Mind maps consist of a network of interconnected concepts designed to uncover creative connections between ideas. As two-dimensional visual learning tools, they bridge a student's prior knowledge with newly acquired information. This note-taking technique emphasizes creativity and visual representation and has increasingly transitioned into computer-based environments with technological advancements.
This study employs a randomized controlled experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of mind mapping in enhancing nursing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A power analysis was performed using the G*Power Version 3.1.9.7 program based on the 80 students enrolled in the course during the 2025-2026 academic year to determine the sample size. In a similar study in the literature the mean and standard deviation data for the pre-test (94.52 ± 24.11) and post-test (84.26 ± 19.95) for the experimental group, the effect size was determined to be 0.4559608. Based on a 5% margin of error and 95% power parameters, the t-test for dependent groups determined the minimum sample size to be n=54. Taking into account potential data losses that may occur during the study process, a 20% margin was added to the sample group, and the study was planned to begin with a total of 65 participants.
Data will be gathered using a "Demographic Information Form," the "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale," and the "Problem-Solving Inventory." Researchers developed five distinct case studies covering infection control, medication administration, patient safety/medical errors, ethical issues, and systematic approaches. Each case includes specific questions regarding fundamental nursing roles and risk areas.
All students will complete the demographic form and pre-tests. Eligible volunteers will then be randomized into experimental and control groups, stratified by their average pre-test scores.The intervention will span five weeks during the scheduled "Critical Thinking in Nursing" course. Following a 40-50 minute theoretical lecture, the groups will move to separate classrooms:
Control Group: Students will continue with the standard curriculum, analyzing the cases using traditional methods under the instructor's guidance.
Experimental Group: Students will be divided into small groups (4-5 members) to create visual mind maps for each weekly topic. They will have 20-30 minutes to develop their maps-using either paper and pen or web-based tools-followed by group presentations and discussions.
After five weeks, post-tests will be administered to all participants. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 23, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.
- Conditions
- Mind Mapping, Nursing Students, Critical Thinking
- Being tested
- Mind mapping
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mind mappingOther
They will create mind maps on five different topics.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Receives: Other: Mind mapping |
| control group | No intervention | They will conduct the course using traditional methods over a five-week period. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: one week and five weeks after the intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Apr 2026
- Study start22 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion29 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion29 May 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Mind MappingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 65 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Gazi University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Evrim Eyikara, Gazi University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07548658
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- E.1500206
- Acronym
- Mind mapping
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 29 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Visualizing Thought Through Mind Mapping: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills Among Nursing Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07548658
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Mind mapping / E.1500206
- Conditions
- Mind Mapping, Nursing Students, Critical Thinking
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 65 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Gazi UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 22 Apr 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 29 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 29 May 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Detailed description
Mind maps consist of a network of interconnected concepts designed to uncover creative connections between ideas. As two-dimensional visual learning tools, they bridge a student's prior knowledge with newly acquired information. This note-taking technique emphasizes creativity and visual representation and has increasingly transitioned into computer-based environments with technological advancements.
This study employs a randomized controlled experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of mind mapping in enhancing nursing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A power analysis was performed using the G*Power Version 3.1.9.7 program based on the 80 students enrolled in the course during the 2025-2026 academic year to determine the sample size. In a similar study in the literature the mean and standard deviation data for the pre-test (94.52 ± 24.11) and post-test (84.26 ± 19.95) for the experimental group, the effect size was determined to be 0.4559608. Based on a 5% margin of error and 95% power parameters, the t-test for dependent groups determined the minimum sample size to be n=54. Taking into account potential data losses that may occur during the study process, a 20% margin was added to the sample group, and the study was planned to begin with a total of 65 participants.
Data will be gathered using a "Demographic Information Form," the "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale," and the "Problem-Solving Inventory." Researchers developed five distinct case studies covering infection control, medication administration, patient safety/medical errors, ethical issues, and systematic approaches. Each case includes specific questions regarding fundamental nursing roles and risk areas.
All students will complete the demographic form and pre-tests. Eligible volunteers will then be randomized into experimental and control groups, stratified by their average pre-test scores.The intervention will span five weeks during the scheduled "Critical Thinking in Nursing" course. Following a 40-50 minute theoretical lecture, the groups will move to separate classrooms:
Control Group: Students will continue with the standard curriculum, analyzing the cases using traditional methods under the instructor's guidance.
Experimental Group: Students will be divided into small groups (4-5 members) to create visual mind maps for each weekly topic. They will have 20-30 minutes to develop their maps-using either paper and pen or web-based tools-followed by group presentations and discussions.
After five weeks, post-tests will be administered to all participants. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 23, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| mind mapping | Experimental | Other: Mind mappingThey 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. |
| control group | No intervention | –They will conduct the course using traditional methods over a five-week period. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Students who are enrolling in the Critical Thinking in Nursing course for the first time and
- who volunteer to participate in the study
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- 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.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mind mappingThey will create mind maps on five different topics. | Other | mind mapping |
Primary outcome
Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale
Time frame: one week and five weeks after the intervention
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.
Problem-Solving Inventory
Time frame: one week and five weeks after the intervention
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.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mind mapping in people with Mind Mapping and Nursing Students, run by Gazi University.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Evrim EYİKARA SARITAŞ (+905435061405, evrimeyikara@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Marmara Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale (time frame: one week and five weeks after the intervention). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Apr 2026.