DO CONCEPT MAPS ENHANCE DEEP LEARNING IN MEDICAL STUDENTS STUDYING PUBERTY DISORDERS?

Objective: To study if concept mapping (CM) is a useful learning approach to enhance meaningful learning in final year medical students compared to traditional methods in an undergraduate medical college to improve learning of puberty disorders in Gynaecology. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Army Medical College Rawalpindi, from Dec 2016 to Mar 2017. Methodology: The final year MBBS class was randomized into 2 groups of 100 each that were taught disorders of puberty using interactive lectures of 50 students. One was taught “disorders of puberty” by traditional lecture and the second by CM. There was Delphi agreement of the content of lecture and method of interaction by the faculty of Gynaecology. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Extended matching Questions (EMQs) and Short Answer Questions (SAQs) were used to assess deep learning two days after lecture. Scores were compared individually and overall between the two groups to assess student‟s learning in the two groups. Results: Mean score of students in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (71.9% vs. 55% of total score, p<0.001). The difference of individual scores was more marked in MCQs, EMQs that dealt with pathophysiology and investigations and in SEQs that dealt more with treatment aspect of puberty disorders. Conclusion: CM method was more successful in learning as compared to lecture-based method. Students in CM group received statistically significant higher scores compared to control group. As a supplement to traditional teaching techniques concept maps promoted meaningful learning.