Are concept map exam papers reliable as assessment tools in nursing education? A quantitative research pilot study

This study’s aim is to investigate the necessity and advantages of the use of concept map as an assessment tool in nursing education. Concept maps have been used extensively aiming mainly at effective understanding, linking together concepts and evaluating new knowledge. A class of second-year nursing degree undergraduate students (N = 32) in Greece participated in this pilot study. Concept map and open-ended exam papers were used. Quantitative statistical analysis of the concept map and open-ended exam grades was conducted. Statistical tests were used to compare all pairs of both types of papers. For the concept map papers, two different grading methods were employed to evaluate their effectiveness. The obtained results indicated that the concept map exam type provided similar scores when compared to the open-ended exam, while the grading efficiency is higher. More-over, for the concept map exam paper, both grading methods can be applied interchangeably to provide similar scores for the students. The concept map can be a trusted assessment tool for identifying the nursing students’ gaps in knowledge and comprehension, in comparison to the open-ended exam type. Nursing educators are encouraged to note the tools strengths and use it according to courses' requirements. Registration number: Not applicable