Metaphorical perceptions of dental students towards pediatric dentistry clinic

Abstract

Metaphors are strong tools used in describing the perceptions of people about a certain phenomenon in detail. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of dental students towards pediatric dentistry clinic (PDC) through metaphors. Materials and Methods:The study group consisted of 441 dental students (DS) who were selected by convenience sampling method. The participants were asked to fill in gaps in the statement "PDC is like ………, because ………". The conceptual categories under which the metaphors produced about PDC were investigated and also examined whether there were any significant differences between these conceptual categories in terms of the genders and grades (preclinical or clinical) of the participants. The mixed method including the quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was used for statistical analysis. Results:DS produced 320 valid metaphors under a total of 17 sample metaphors that best reflect all of them. The metaphors were collected under 4 conceptual categories which are; PDC is like; 1) an educative place; 2) a curative place; 3) a playground place; and 4) a scary place. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of gender (p>0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of grades (p<0.05). While clinical dental students showed a heavy distribution in educative and curative categories, preclinical dental students showed a distribution mostly in scary and playground category. Conclusion: Metaphor analysis was seen as a beneficial measurement tool in determining the perceptions of the dental students.