An educational intervention bridging the theory-practice gap in dental students
: ‘It is not a cooking recipe’

  • Daniela A Pino Valenzuela

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

This research designed, implemented, and investigated an educational intervention to address the reported gap between theory and practice in dental education and the accompanying difficulties in developing early-year dental students' reflective skills. The intervention was developed following Design-Based Research principles considering a three-phase model, which included two cycles (i.e., Pilot and Main study) of intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. Under a socio-constructivism approach, reflective practice provides the bridge between theory and practice and places value on social interactions during the teaching and learning process.
The intervention was implemented with third year dental students during their preclinical practices. It consisted of a virtual environment on OneNote where students shared their experiences in the Clinical Skills Laboratory by uploading photographs, comments, and reflections.
A pilot study was conducted in 2017 (N=13 students), and the main study in 2018 (N=56 students, 7 tutors) at the Dental School of a traditional university in Chile. The pilot study evaluated the design's feasibility, showing that students worked with their mobile phones, taking photographs, commenting, and reflecting about them without interfering with their regular practices. The preliminary results highlighted the influence of assessment culture in the development of the intervention and considered the incorporation of contributions from tutors in a virtual environment. Tutors subsequently participated in the main study and showed similar levels of participation as their groups of students. The participation of students online was varied; even within a group, students varied in their uploads of photos, comments and reflections shared on OneNote. An incremented contribution online was observed concerning the proximity to the practical summative assessment. The Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (Kember et al., 2000) showed students engage primarily with Understanding and Reflection, suggesting students were orientated to learning (Understanding) in order to apply it later in their practices (Reflecting). Additionally, students reported the development of varied skills as a consequence of reflective practice. Those skills were: improved memory, critical thinking, self-assessment, communication, and the management of time and emotions.
With the intervention, students and tutors agreed that students move from the mechanical repetition of procedures and knowledge to integrating and understanding their actions. Still, most importantly, when reflective practice is incorporated into their preclinical training, students develop the skills that may benefit their transition to future clinical scenarios, thus bridging the theory and practice gap.
Date of Award25 Jan 2022
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of Bristol
SupervisorDavid Dymock (Supervisor), Kate Whittington (Supervisor) & Sally B Barnes (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Dental Education
  • Reflective Practice
  • Clinical Skills

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