Development of professional identity among dental students – A qualitative study

Purpose The study explored dental students’ perception of their professional identity (PI) development at a newly established dental college with a problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum. Methods Qualitative methods based on focus groups were used for data collection. The conceptual framework of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of dental education Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 93 - 100
Main Authors: Du, Xiangyun, Al Khabuli, Jumma O. S., Ba Hattab, Raidan A. S., Daud, Aala, Philip, Nebu I, Anweigi, Lamyia, Matoug‐Elwerfelli, Manal, Ali, Kamran
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 01.01.2023
Subjects:
Curriculum
dental students
dentistry
Humans
Learning
Problem-Based Learning - methods
problem‐based learning
professional identity
Qualitative Research
Students, Dental
professional identity
problem-based learning
dental students
dentistry
ISSN:0022-0337, 1930-7837, 1930-7837
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Purpose The study explored dental students’ perception of their professional identity (PI) development at a newly established dental college with a problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum. Methods Qualitative methods based on focus groups were used for data collection. The conceptual framework of the study was informed by a subject‐centered sociocultural approach to PI development. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from five focus groups of undergraduate dental students to gain a deeper understanding of their PI development in a PBL environment. Results Out of a total of 38 dental students in years 2 and 3, 34 students (89.47%) participated in the focus groups. A theory‐driven thematic analysis was used to dissect the views and experiences of the participants to explore factors contributing to PI development in the early years of the program. At an individual level, PBL was seen to be appropriate for PI development. However, some participants placed more emphasis on practical training in operative dental skills. Relational sources especially role modeling by the PBL facilitators and faculty staff were identified as a key factor to nurture PI development. Mixed views were observed on the value of PBL to enhance team‐working skills. The participants also identified challenges of PBL and provided recommendations on further improvements to enhance the learning experiences of the students. Conclusions This study provided useful insights into a PBL curriculum at a newly established dental institution. The findings underscore the value of PBL in developing PI and also highlight the challenges of implementing PBL in a socio‐cultural context and pedagogical implications for further program improvement.
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ISSN:0022-0337
1930-7837
1930-7837
DOI:10.1002/jdd.13092