Oral Health and Dental Students’ Perceptions of Their Clinical Learning Environment: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

Creating an optimal clinical learning environment poses a challenge to health professions educators. To evaluate and improve the clinical learning environment, it is necessary to understand students’ experiences of their environment and the factors they perceive as having an impact on their learning. The aim of this explorative qualitative study was to examine University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry students’ perceptions of their clinical learning environment to gain insights into how learning outcomes could be enhanced. In 2015, all approximately 600 students at all levels of the Bachelor of Oral Health and Bachelor of Dental Surgery degrees at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, were invited to participate in focus groups. Focus groups facilitated by the faculty education research fellow and another researcher employed for the project were conducted during the second half of the academic year. Transcribed data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Twenty‐one students from all levels of the two programs attended one of six confidential focus groups. Three broad themes were evident in the results from all groups: feedback processes, assessments and grading, and tutor interactions. In the focus groups, students expressed dissatisfaction regarding current feedback practices, types of feedback to benefit learning, consistency in the grading system, and impact of different educators’ teaching styles on learning. These results indicated a need for further research and curricular efforts to promote good student‐teacher relationships in the clinical learning environment, which are paramount for creating an optimal teaching and learning environment and enhancing student outcomes.

Qualitative evaluation of learning environment in Indian teaching dental institutions from the students’ perspective using focus group interviews

“…A study on students' perceptions of the clinical learning environment in New Zealand noted that students were not satisfied with the feedback received 13 . Consistent with the above observations, students in this study expressed disinclination towards receiving feedback.…”

“…The dissatisfaction expressed by the students with evaluation in the present study emphasizes the need to institute more objective assessment criteria. International experience suggests that students show better interest and report better learning when marking and grading are not in concomitance with the learning process 13,17 . Inclusion of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the dental curricula would be beneficial in eliminating prejudice and allows everyone to be assessed by the same criteria 18 .…”

Dental faculty and student views of didactic and clinical assessment: A qualitative description study

“…Many studies on perceptions, including evaluations, of dental education have focused on student views, especially regarding curriculum content, delivery (teaching) and learning 1,4,5,8,11,12 . Insufficient data currently exist about perceived assessment practices in dental schools beyond instructor inconsistencies, insensitive feedback and the need for proper methods to assess competencies 9,10,13,14 . Thus, there is a need for exploring faculty and student views of assessment in a comprehensive manner.…”

“…1,4,5,8,11,12 Insufficient data currently exist about perceived assessment practices in dental schools beyond instructor inconsistencies, insensitive feedback and the need for proper methods to assess competencies. 9,10,13,14 Thus, there is a need for exploring faculty and student views of assessment in a comprehensive manner.…”

Evaluation of knowledge and attitude of medical interns regarding oral and dental health in Yazd (2016)

“…Bacteria in the mouth first form biofilm or plaque, then gingivitis and then periodontitis infection if the oral hygiene is not respected. The association of this disease with bacterial endocarditis is higher in young men who smoke or are injectable [8][9][10][11].…”