Psychometric study of a test about difficulties and expectations in the learning of mind map in Higher Education

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. The mind map is considered a learning technique that exploits the full potential of the brain due to the combination of elements such as concepts, relationships between ideas, images, colors and shapes, allowing the knowledge construction more significant. METHOD. This article presents the process of adaptation and validation to the context of study of the scale “Questionnaire of difficulties and expectations in the learning of Mind Map in Higher Education”, which tries to analyze the difficulties experienced by the students during the learning of the strategy, in their initial teacher training, considering both the feelings that appear during the dynamics carried out, and the expectations of its use in their professional career, once they have acquired a technical domain. Two descriptive studies have been carried out by a cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire was administered, in first place, to a sample of 206 students, and in second place, to a total of 409 students from Childhood and Primary Education degrees, as well as the Master of Inclusive Education of the University of Córdoba (Spain). The data were subjected to a descriptive analysis, a comparison of means, correlations, a study of internal consistency and the factorial structure through an exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis. RESULTS. The results showed that the questionnaire had a high goodness-of-fit index, as well as validity and reliability results that showed that the model was appropriate and coherent with the starting theoretical assumptions. DISCUSSION. Ultimately, the results indicated that the questionnaire was amenable for its use in similar studies within the same context.