Effectiveness of using mind maps in the learning process: Teachers' perspectives and students' assessments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2026.31.1.22Keywords:
concept maps, learning methods, medical biology, medical education, medical students, mind mapsAbstract
Purpose. The study aims to analyze the experience of integrating mind mapping into the "Medical Biology" course for first-year medical students. The rationale is driven by the need to overcome the barriers of "clip thinking" in Generation Z and to transform traditional note-taking methods into active visual structuring tools to manage the increasing volume of medical information and improve preparation for the KROK-1 (an exam in general scientific disciplines, which is taken by applicants for medical and pharmaceutical education after studying the main fundamental disciplines) licensing examination.
Methodology. A comprehensive study was conducted during the autumn semester of 2025 at Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University. The sample included 42 first-year medical students (31% of the specialty cohort). The educational intervention involved creating mind maps for key modules, including: "Molecular-cellular level of life organization", "Laws of heredity and variability", "Methods of studying human heredity. Hereditary diseases", using digital platforms (Canva, Miro, Coggle) or paper media. Data were collected through an anonymous Google Forms survey using a Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics in Microsoft Excel.
Results. Most students (92.9%) had little to no prior experience with mind mapping. 92.9% chose digital tools over paper, with Canva (50%) being the most popular platform. 95.2% of respondents confirmed that mind maps significantly improved material structuring, and 83.3% reported a better understanding of cause-and-effect relationships. 100% of students found the method beneficial for independent literature review. Key elements identified as most effective were "Keywords" (59.5%) and "Branches" (40.5%), while "Color" (9.5%) and "Central Image" (11.9%) were rated lower. Time investment for most students (54.8%) was 1–2 hours per map. 88.1% of participants rated mind mapping as more effective than traditional linear note taking.
Conclusions. Mind mapping is a highly effective didactic tool that promotes active knowledge of construction and self-regulated learning in medical education. The preference for keywords and hierarchical branches reflects a pragmatic approach to learning, specifically tailored for identifying diagnostic markers in medical tests. To optimize the method, multimedia instructions for various digital platforms should be provided. Students' high motivation and request for cross-disciplinary integration suggest that mind mapping should be formally incorporated into the medical curriculum as a tool for synthesizing complex biological data.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Havrylenko Kseniia, Alisa Popovych, Oleksandra Shemetenko, Tetiana Yemets
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