Facilitating undergraduate students’ problem-solving and critical thinking competence via online escape room learning

This study aimed to identify the efficiency of escape room activities in terms of enhancing nursing students' retention of maternity-related knowledge and their overall learning performance. Novel teaching methods have been explored as alternatives to traditional approaches. One such strategy is the implementation of escape-room-based techniques, which have been used as an inventive educational approach in nursing. However, there is limited information available on specific applications, such as in maternity education. The study conducted a quasi-experimental design during two semesters of an academic year (i.e., the 2021–2022 academic year). The study was conducted at a university, with participants enrolled in a maternity course. The experimental group engaged in an online game-based escape room learning activity during the pregnancy assessment session of their maternity course, while the control group learned with a traditional teaching approach. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the performances of the two groups. Findings from the experimental group suggested that incorporating an online game-based escape room approach into the learning process enhanced students' learning performance, problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills. Additionally, students expressed a consensus that learning through the online game-based escape room approach added enjoyment to the learning experience. Maternity escape rooms" emerged as an online game-based approach that effectively stimulated nursing students and can serve as a practical resource for engaging in maternity care learning.