Indian J. Pharm. Biol. Res. 2014; 2(4):58-60
CODEN (USA): IJPB07
ISSN: 2320-9267
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biological Research (IJPBR)
Journal homepage: www.ijpbr.in
Original Research Article
Mind Map: Medical Student’s Views
Mamatha P Samaga1*, Hemalatha Nr2
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, MIMS, Mandya, India
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, MIMS, Mandya, India
2
ARTICLE INFO:
Article history:
Received: 28 October 2014
Received in revised form:
15 November 2014
Accepted: 18 November 2014
Available online: 31 December
2014
Keywords:
Learning,
Medical education,
Medical students,
Mind map,
Time.
ABSTRACT
The Mind Map is an expression of Radiant Thinking, the associative thought processes that
proceed from or connect to a central point, and is therefore a natural function of the human
mind. It is a powerful graphic technique that can be applied to improve learning and clearer
thinking. In recent years, there have been a growing number of publications on learning
strategies used in medical education, which can help students to learn and integrate
information. The objective of our study was to know if the students liked or disliked mind
map as a study tool and know the reasons for the same.The study was conducted on 56 first
year MBBS students after taking their written informed consent. They were taught using mind
map of a topic which was previously taught using traditional method. They were asked to
write if they liked or disliked mind map and quote the reasons for the same. Out of 56
students who participated in the study, all of them except 2 students liked mind mapping
method of teaching. Multiple reasons were quoted by the students for liking mind mapping.
The most common reason cited by 34 students(60.71%) was that mind mapping could enable
them to study vast topic in short time. With this feedback from the students, we can consider
mind map as a good teaching tool for medical students. It is a technique which can be easily
taught and learned.
Introduction
A learning strategy is a thinking tool that a student can use to
actively acquire information and some examples include
mnemonics, charts, and maps [1].
Mind mapping was developed by Tony Buzan [2] and inspired
by the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci [3]. Unlike most
learners' notes, da Vinci's notes were not linear but elliptical–
he used pictures and text to illustrate ideas and often
connected different concepts on the same page. Mind maps,
like da Vinci's notes, are multi-sensory tools that use
visuospatial orientation to integrate information, and
consequently,
help
students
organize and
retain
information [4].
The Mind Map is an expression of Radiant Thinking, the
associative thought processes that proceed from or connect to
*
a central point, and is therefore a natural function of the
human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique that can be
applied to improve learning and clearer thinking [2].
During their undergraduate years, medical students are
exposed to a large amount of information. In this scenario, it is
likely that students often become passive recipients of
abundant information transmitted by teachers, and are rarely,
if ever, actively involved in the learning process itself [5].
Although the amount of information that medical students are
expected to retain is voluminous [6], there are limited learning
strategies available to these students to master the information
and succeed in medical school [7]. Given this very large
amount of information, many medical students resort to
passive learning, a phenomenon that has been shown to
increase the risk of academic failure because it leads to poor
retention [8]. Passive learning refers to learning strategies that
Corresponding Author: Dr. Mamatha P Samaga, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, MIMS, Mandya, Karnataka,
India. E-Mail: [email protected]
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Samaga et al. / Indian J. Pharm. Biol. Res., 2014; 2(4):58-60
emphasize
ze memorization without an attempt to connect and
understand information. Passive learners are not stimulated
cognitively during the learning process and do not attempt to
form connections between information . In contrast, active
learning encourages this interconnectivity and engages the
learner in activities that promote meaningful learning [1].
In recent years, there have been a growing number of
publications on learning strategies used in medical education,
which can help students to learn and integrate information [9,
10].
The mind map strategy may be a useful tool that medical
students can use to facilitate the learning process.The
objective of our study was to know if the students liked or
disliked mind map as a study tool and know the reasons for
the same.
Material and Methods
This was a cross sectional study conducted in Mandya
Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya. 56 students from first
MBBS course voluntarily participated in the study. Written
informed consent was taken from all of them. They were
taught about the topic in the traditional method previously.
The same topic was again selected to teach using mind
mapping and opinion of the students about mind mapping
method was collected. The students were asked to write if they
liked or disliked this method and give reasons for
fo the same.
The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and results
expressed as percentages.
Results
Out of 56 students who participated in the study, 27(48.2%)
were males and 29(51.8%) were females. All of them (96.4%)
except 2 (3.6%) females liked mind mapping method of
teaching. Multiple reasons were quoted by the students for
liking mind mapping. The most common reason cited by 34
students (60.71%) was that mind mapping could enable them
to study vast topic in short time. Also 33(58.93%) felt that it
helps in long term memory, easy to recall and remember.
25(44.64%) felt it was a good revision tool, 15 (26.78%) felt it
could be easily carried and 14(25%) liked the pictorial
presentation,.
2 females disliked this method quoting the reason that it was
difficult to understand the depth of the topic and the topic gets
confusing, respectively.
Liked
Disliked
Fig 1: Percentage of students who liked and disliked mind mapping
Discussion
Mind mapping is a visual technique where information and
knowledge are converted into a hierarchical diagram,
formatted and illustrated, with structural key terms associated
with a theme, helping learners to understand certain content
better, integrate it and memorize it faster [11]
[11]. Our study
showed that majority of the students
udents (96.43%)
(96.43% liked mind
mapping. The most common reason cited by 34 students
(60.71%) was that mind mapping could enable them to study
vast topic in short time. Also 33(58.93%) felt that it helps in
long term memory, easy to recall and remember.
Original Research Article
A study by Toi (2009)[12] shows that Mind Mapping can help
children recall words more effectively than using lists, with
improvements in memory of up to 32%. And according to a
study conducted by Farrand, Hussain and Hennessey
(2002)[11], Mind Mapping improved the long-term
long
memory
of factual information in their participants by 10%.
Incorporating Mind Mapping into the teaching of
comprehension skills enhances students’ understanding and
memory of comprehension passages [13].
[13]
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Samaga et al. / Indian J. Pharm. Biol. Res., 2014; 2(4):58-60
We also noted that 14(25%) liked the pictorial presentation of
mind map in our study. Research by D’Antoni and Pinto Zipp
(2005)[14] found that, from a pool of 14 physical therapy
students, 10 out of 14 agreed that the Mind Map technique
enabled them to better organise and integrate the material
presented in their course. Survey data collected by Mento et al
(1999)[15] indicates that the majority of students appreciated
the power and simplicity of Mind Mapping and its “significant
advantage over linear note-taking for recall and creative
thinking”.
Wickramisinghe et al (2007)[16] discovered that the majority
of medical students who had been newly introduced to Mind
Mapping perceived it to be helpful for memorising
information in an organised way compared to their previous
self-study techniques. A study conducted at Newchurch
Community Primary School in Warrington showed a variety
of improvements in pupils’ learning after Mind Mapping was
introduced. Evidence includes improved concentration,
staying on task for longer periods of time, improved
questioning and answering during class discussions and
improved independence. Cain (2001/2002)[17]. We found that
15 (26.78%) students felt that mind maps were easy to carry.
Mind maps could provide them a concise picture of all
important points which they could revise even while
travelling.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Conclusion
14.
We found that majority of our students liked mind mapping.
They could cover studying vast topics in short time, could
remember the topic for long time and revise easily. With this
feedback from the students, we can consider mind map as a
good teaching tool for medical students. It is a technique
which can be easily taught and learned. It requires no extra
equipment or high costs. This learning-teaching strategy
merits further exploration as a tool to aid in active learning.
15.
16.
Conflict of interest statement
We declare that we have no conflict of interest.
17.
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Cite this article as: Mamatha P Samaga, Hemalatha Nr. Mind Map: Medical Student’s Views. Indian J. Pharm. Biol.
Res.2014; 2(4):58-60.
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Original Research Article
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