Abstract
In nursing education, well-designed concepts can help construct student and patient-centered instructional design and delivery approaches. Concept maps are innovative learning strategies that play a significant role in helping learners understand complex problems by promoting metacognition through critical thinking, problem-solving, motivation, professional interaction, peer discussion, and knowledge acquisition.1 The literature supports the use of concept maps in nursing education as an effective tool for simulating critical thinking and clinical reasoning and judgment.2 Additional research is needed to understand how the use of concept mapping can contribute to measurable differences in clinical judgment skills using a clinical judgment model.3
The purpose of this study will be to assess the use of concept mapping on the development of nursing students’ clinical judgment and critical thinking skills related to the five domains of the NCSBN clinical judgment model, which include recognizing cues (assessment), analyzing cues and prioritizing hypotheses (analysis), generating solutions (planning), taking action (implementing), and evaluating outcomes (evaluating).4 The analysis will compare the development of these clinical judgment skills among two groups of graduating nursing students: one group using concept mapping for the instructional design and a control group using traditional teaching methods. A quasi-experimental design will be employed to compare clinical judgment and critical thinking skills among nursing students enrolled in different sections of the same critical care course at a single university. The NCSBN Clinical Judgment Model will be used as a framework for the valid measurement of clinical judgment and decision-making within the program evaluation. Outcome metrics will be retrieved from data analytics of the standardized testing given to all sections, and self-reported mixed methods survey results from the concept mapping group exit surveys. Data collected from the student questionnaires and intervention and control group assessment scores will be used to evaluate and compare nursing students’ clinical judgment and critical thinking skills in alignment with the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Model. Results may inform nursing education toward embedding well-designed concept mapping student-centered learning practices in nursing education to develop clinical judgment and critical thinking skills.
Notes
References:
1. Sannathimmappa, M. B., Nambiar, V., & Aravindakshan, R. (2022). Concept maps in immunology: A metacognitive tool to promote collaborative and meaningful learning among undergraduate medical students. Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism, 10(3), 172–178. https://doi.org/10.30476/JAMP.2022.94275.1576
2. Barta, A., Fodor, L. A., Tamas, B., & Szamoskozi, I. (2022). The development of students critical thinking abilities and dispositions through the concept mapping learning method – A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 37, 100481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100481
3. Jessee, M. A., Nielsen, A., Monagle, J., Gonzalez, L., Lasater, K., & Dickison, P. (2023). A national report on clinical judgment model use in prelicensure nursing curricula. Nursing education perspectives, 44(1), 4-10.
4. Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: A Framework to Measure Clinical Judgment & Decision Making. Retrieved from https://www.nclex.com/clinical-judgment-measurement-model.page
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Academic-Clinical Partnership, Faculty Development, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Nursing Education, Clinical Education, Medical Logic, Critical Thinking
Recommended Citation
Ngonmeudje, Guillaume, "Use of Concept Mapping to Facilitate the Clinical Judgment Model in Nursing Education" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 122.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/122
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-26
Use of Concept Mapping to Facilitate the Clinical Judgment Model in Nursing Education
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
In nursing education, well-designed concepts can help construct student and patient-centered instructional design and delivery approaches. Concept maps are innovative learning strategies that play a significant role in helping learners understand complex problems by promoting metacognition through critical thinking, problem-solving, motivation, professional interaction, peer discussion, and knowledge acquisition.1 The literature supports the use of concept maps in nursing education as an effective tool for simulating critical thinking and clinical reasoning and judgment.2 Additional research is needed to understand how the use of concept mapping can contribute to measurable differences in clinical judgment skills using a clinical judgment model.3
The purpose of this study will be to assess the use of concept mapping on the development of nursing students’ clinical judgment and critical thinking skills related to the five domains of the NCSBN clinical judgment model, which include recognizing cues (assessment), analyzing cues and prioritizing hypotheses (analysis), generating solutions (planning), taking action (implementing), and evaluating outcomes (evaluating).4 The analysis will compare the development of these clinical judgment skills among two groups of graduating nursing students: one group using concept mapping for the instructional design and a control group using traditional teaching methods. A quasi-experimental design will be employed to compare clinical judgment and critical thinking skills among nursing students enrolled in different sections of the same critical care course at a single university. The NCSBN Clinical Judgment Model will be used as a framework for the valid measurement of clinical judgment and decision-making within the program evaluation. Outcome metrics will be retrieved from data analytics of the standardized testing given to all sections, and self-reported mixed methods survey results from the concept mapping group exit surveys. Data collected from the student questionnaires and intervention and control group assessment scores will be used to evaluate and compare nursing students’ clinical judgment and critical thinking skills in alignment with the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Model. Results may inform nursing education toward embedding well-designed concept mapping student-centered learning practices in nursing education to develop clinical judgment and critical thinking skills.
Description
Concept mapping is an innovative learning strategy for promoting metacognition through critical thinking, problem-solving, motivation, professional interaction, peer discussion, and knowledge acquisition. This study aims to assess the use of concept mapping in facilitating clinical judgment and critical thinking skills related to the domains of the NCSBN clinical judgment model among a sample of graduating nursing students at a single university.