ERIC Number: EJ844838
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Aug
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1382-4996
EISSN: N/A
Impact of Curriculum on Understanding of Professional Practice: A Longitudinal Study of Students Commencing Dental Education
Kieser, Jules A.; Dall'Alba, Gloria; Livingstone, Vicki
Advances in Health Sciences Education, v14 n3 p303-314 Aug 2009
This longitudinal study examines changes in understanding of dental practice among a cohort of students in the early years of a dentistry programme. In their first two professional years, we identified five distinct understandings of dental practice that we have ordered from least to most comprehensive: "relieving pain or generally caring for teeth, carrying out particular dental procedures, diagnosing and treating dental problems or diseases, evaluating and responding to oral health," and finally, "evaluating oral health and preventing oral disease in the community." At entry into the dental program the most common understandings among both men and women focused on dental procedures or diagnosis and treatment. The largest changes in students' responses at the end of the first and second professional years were generally in line with the emphasis of the curriculum in each of these 2 years, although prevention was not clearly featured. These data suggest that at least some students responded to the curriculum and, hence, highlight the impact of the curriculum on students' emerging understandings. We conclude that curricula can have a key role in the development of understanding of professional practice during professional programmes, although the impact of curricula is not always as expected and merits investigation.
Descriptors: Dental Schools, Dentistry, Program Effectiveness, Medical Students, Longitudinal Studies, Curriculum, Student Attitudes, Role
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A