Du Xiangyun, Al Khabuli Jumma O S, Ba Hattab Raidan A S, Daud Aala, Philip Nebu I, Anweigi Lamyia, Matoug-Elwerfelli Manal, Ali Kamran
Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
J Dent Educ. 2023 Jan;87(1):93-100. doi: 10.1002/jdd.13092. Epub 2022 Sep 2.
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.
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.
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.
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.
本研究探讨了牙科学生对其在一所新成立的采用基于问题的学习（PBL）课程的牙科学院中专业身份（PI）发展的认知。
采用基于焦点小组的定性方法收集数据。该研究的概念框架以一种以学科为中心的社会文化方法来进行PI发展为依据。采用目的抽样法从五个本科牙科学生焦点小组收集数据，以更深入地了解他们在PBL环境中的PI发展情况。
在二、三年级的总共38名牙科学生中，有34名学生（89.47%）参与了焦点小组。采用理论驱动的主题分析来剖析参与者的观点和经历，以探索该项目早期阶段有助于PI发展的因素。在个人层面，PBL被认为适合PI发展。然而，一些参与者更强调牙科操作技能的实践培训。关系来源，特别是PBL促进者和教职员工的榜样作用，被确定为培养PI发展的关键因素。对于PBL在提高团队合作技能方面的价值，存在不同观点。参与者还指出了PBL的挑战，并就进一步改进以提升学生的学习体验提出了建议。
本研究为一所新成立的牙科机构的PBL课程提供了有益的见解。研究结果强调了PBL在发展PI方面的价值，也突出了在社会文化背景下实施PBL的挑战以及对进一步改进项目的教学启示。
