Date of Award

11-26-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Professions Education

First Advisor

Dr. Amber Sultan

Second Advisor

Dr. Rahila Ali

Third Advisor

Dr. Sadia Masood

Department

Educational Development

Abstract

Introduction: Lack of student engagement during didactic lectures (DL) has raised concerns for educators worldwide. Digital mind mapping (DMM) has emerged as an innovative, technology integrated pedagogical strategy that provides students with opportunities for active engagement and meets the demands of the digital generation. However, there is a lack of research regarding the effectiveness of collaborative digital mind mapping (CDMM) as a teaching-learning strategy. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of CDMM compared to the DL method on first year dental students’ academic performance and explore students’ perceptions regarding CDMM.
Method: A mixed-methods study was conducted at JSMU, Karachi, among 50 first year BDS students. Quantitative arm comprised an experimental study with a pretest-posttest, control group design. For teaching sessions, students were randomly divided into experimental (CDMM) and control (DL) groups using random allocation software (RAS). Canva was used as an intervention tool for CDMM group where students created digital mind maps in small-groups. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Paired and independent sample t-tests were used for statistical analysis for intragroup and intergroup comparisons of mean pretest-posttest scores respectively and significance level was set at p< 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. Qualitative arm comprised an exploratory, case-study design to explore the perceptions of CDMM group using a focus group discussion (FGD). Thematic analysis was done for qualitative data.>< 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval. Qualitative arm comprised an exploratory, case-study design to explore the perceptions of CDMM group using a focus group discussion (FGD). Thematic analysis was done for qualitative data.
Results: Quantitative analysis was conducted among 48 students, with 24 students in each group. The mean age of students was 18.9±1.01 years, with a female predominance in both groups (83.3% females and 16.7% males). The mean pretest scores of CDMM and DL groups showed no significant difference, with a p-value of 0.966 (13.25±3.517 and 13.29±3.250, respectively). In contrast, the mean post-test scores of CDMM and DL groups revealed a significant difference, with a p-value of less than 0.001 (31.21±4.149 and 22.75±5.127, respectively). The mean difference was 8.46. The FGD yielded six major themes, i.e., “Learning never exhausts the mind”, “CDMM versus DL”, “Collaboration is the key to innovation”, “I am not a teacher but an awakener”, “Every expert was once a beginner” and “Way forward.”
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that CDMM is a more effective instructional strategy compared to DL with regard to improvement in students’ academic performance and positive students’ perceptions.

First Page

1

Last Page

92

Download

Share

COinS