Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Department of Dental Hygiene, Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia.
J Dent Educ. 2021 Sep;85(9):1453-1461. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12626. Epub 2021 Apr 24.
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Although the bachelor's degree is the entry-level degree option supported by the American Dental Hygienists' Association, the majority of dental hygiene programs remain associate degree. The aim of this study was to explore factors impacting entry-level program choice and examine attitudes and perceptions of dental hygiene students pertaining to a bachelor's degree (BS) as the entry-level degree.
A cross-sectional survey research design was utilized with a convenience sample of dental hygiene students (n = 429) from the United States and Canada. The 33-item survey had four sections: demographics, factors influencing program choice, attitudes, and perceptions of a BS. Descriptive and inferential analysis was used to explore the relationship between variables.
The completion rate was 91% (n = 384). Factors that most influenced program choice included: location (74%), cost (68%), and time to completion (47.7%). Students with mothers who graduated from college were more likely to rank time to completion as their number one factor (37%) (χ2[df2] = 19.6, p < 0.001, phi = 0.33). Students in bachelor's programs were significantly more likely to believe a bachelor's degree better prepared clinicians for duties required in future practice and that the entry-level degree should be raised to a bachelor's degree (p < 0.001). While more students in associate degree program agreed there were opportunities in education without a bachelor's degree (p < 0.05).
Cost, time to completion, and location were the factors influencing students' program choice. While the dental hygiene profession advocates raising the entry-level degree to a bachelor's programs, less than 40% of dental hygiene students supported this change.
目的/目标：尽管学士学位是美国牙科保健师协会支持的入门级学位选择，但大多数牙科保健计划仍为副学士学位。本研究旨在探讨影响入门级课程选择的因素，并研究牙科卫生学生对学士学位（BS）作为入门级学位的态度和看法。
采用横断面调查研究设计，对来自美国和加拿大的牙科卫生学生（n=429）进行便利抽样。该 33 项调查有四个部分：人口统计学、影响课程选择的因素、态度和对 BS 的看法。使用描述性和推断性分析来探讨变量之间的关系。
完成率为 91%（n=384）。影响课程选择的主要因素包括：地点（74%）、成本（68%）和完成时间（47.7%）。母亲毕业于大学的学生更有可能将完成时间列为他们的首要因素（37%）（χ2[df2] = 19.6，p < 0.001，phi = 0.33）。攻读学士学位课程的学生更有可能认为学士学位使临床医生为未来实践中所需的职责做好更好的准备，并且应将入门级学位提高到学士学位（p < 0.001）。而在副学士学位课程中，更多的学生同意没有学士学位也有教育机会（p < 0.05）。
成本、完成时间和地点是影响学生课程选择的因素。虽然牙科保健行业主张将入门级学位提高到学士学位课程，但不到 40%的牙科卫生学生支持这一改变。
