本研究利用心智圖介入生理學的教學，期望能促進學生的自我導向學習，並提升獨立思考能力。實驗採用護理系五專一年級學生，分成兩次進行。長期實驗進行18週，實驗組以心智圖介入生理學教學，控制組以平常授課方式進行。短期實驗則是如同長期實驗，但在進行9週後，控制組班級加入心智圖的介入，而實驗組則停止心智圖的介入，繼續進行另外9週課程。結果顯示，自我學習意願與能力，在長期與短期實驗，均有一致的顯著提升。特別是效率學習部分，在兩個實驗中，不管控制組或實驗組，都同時有增強的效果。但是長期實驗的心智圖訓練（18週），卻會對顯著降低實驗組學生批判性思考的能力。但這樣的干擾現象，在短期實驗，只進行9週的心智圖訓練時，即不復存在。此外，相關係數的分析顯示，批判性思考能力越高的同學，能得到更高的生理學成績。本研究顯示，在生理學的教學中，以心智圖輔助的介入方式，確能提高學生自我學習的意願，但是，除了心智圖以外，需要再輔以其他學習與教學的技巧，才能有效提升學生批判性思考的能力。

The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching effects of physiology by concept mapping in developing critical thinking ability and self-directed learning. Study was designed with a sample being drawn from a group in first-year junior college nursing students. Students in the experimental group were taught to use concept mapping in their physiology lectures. And students in the control group were taught by means of traditional methods. The long-term study was conducted for 18 weeks. And the short-term study was conducted for 9 weeks first, and then the concept mapping intervention was changed between control and experimental groups. After that the students got on another 9 weeks training courses. Both parts of the studies had shown consistently better overall self-directed learning than before. In particular the performance of effective learning was increased significantly in both control and experimental groups. However, the critical thinking ability was shown statistically significantly lower in experimental group than in control group in the long-term study. But this interference was not shown in the short-term study. The present study revealed that concept mapping is an effective tool to improve students' self-directed learning. However, the interference in critical thinking ability was found in the long-term study, which suggest that the elevation of critical thinking needs more than concept mapping intervention. Other teaching skills and tools should be involved in physiology teaching.