This article discusses and elaborates on how concept mapping as a specific instructional strategy helps students to externalize and transform their understanding of qualitative research; and helps instructors to focus on their students' conceptual understanding of qualitative research. The discussion focuses on concept mapping as a learning strategy that (1) externalizes students' knowledge structures, (2) supports students in building coherent knowledge structures, and (3) helps instructors to assess students' knowledge structures and the organization of the concepts within the knowledge structures when they learn, grasp, and integrate the diverse and complex concept associated with the major components of qualitative research.