[01] Kalaimathy Maniam, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia. [02] Nor Robaayah Meor Ahmad, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia. [03] Mahavithya Gandhi, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia. [04] Arunkumar Gunasingam, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia. [05] Mohamad Syahmi Bin Mohamad Amin, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Melaka, Malaysia.

Handouts are a linear and structured way of note taking that has been used for centuries as a method of studying but it is not known to stimulate the creativity of the students whereas mind maps are an innovative way and non-structured form of note taking devised to stimulate students creativity and thought processes. Mind maps are a very popular way of studying and it has been used throughout the ages for learning, brainstorming, visualization of ideas and problem solving by educators, students and most professionals. Previous studies had been done regarding the effectiveness of mind maps on students’ understanding of a topic but very little study has been done where they compared the effectiveness of both methods against each other. This study aims to study the effects of mind mapping vs traditional handouts on understanding of a topic among medical students. Our study hypothesis states that there is a difference in the understanding of a topic between students who are using either mind maps or handouts. A randomized controlled trial study was conducted among medical students (n=60) in Muar, Johor, Malaysia. The traditional handout had 30 students and the mind map group had 30 students where both the interventions had similar information of Vitiligo. The participants were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire that consists of four sections. The knowledge scores is the primary outcome variable and the results were compared between the groups among the other outcomes in the feedback section. The mean knowledge percentage of mind map group was higher than handout group but it was not significant. Mind map had higher significant median value regarding interesting to read, useful to recall information, had better organization of thoughts and good for understanding the concepts and thoughts of the topic compared to handout group. In conclusion, mind map is an effective method in remembering and understanding a topic compared to reading a handout. Based on our study, the mind map group obtained a higher knowledge percentage than the handout group. It was found that the participants prefer to use the mind map method more compared to the handout method and it is also more convenient.

Mind Map, Handouts, Experimental Study, Randomized Control Trial

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