Students Perception Of Important Teaching Behaviors In Classroom And Clinical Environments Of A Community College Nursing And Dental Hygiene Education Program

Author : Terry A. Callihan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 74 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (36 download)

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Download or read book Dental Hygiene Educators' Clinical Practice Status and Perceptions written by Terry A. Callihan and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the current clinical practice status and perceptions of current clinical practice of dental hygiene educators. All full-time dental hygiene educators in the United States in 1994 (n=900) were surveyed. The survey instrument, a 39-item questionnaire developed by the investigator, consisted of open and closed-ended questions and Likert scale ratings. The survey was piloted to educators in two local dental hygiene programs in Missouri and Kansas and at the 1994 American Association of Dental School Annual Session. Six copies of the revised instrument were then mailed to program directors at each of the 210 dental hygiene programs. Directors were asked to distribute them to all full-time educators at their institution. A follow-up postcard was mailed to all instructors four weeks later as a reminder. Six hundred sixty three questionnaires were acceptable for analysis (73.7% response rate). One hundred eighty six programs were represented by a response from at least one faculty member (88.6% program response rate). Results revealed 54% (n=358) of educators did not participate in clinical practice. Fifty percent of non-practicing faculty had not practiced in six or more years. Chi-square analysis of demographic variables revealed the educators in the Southeast region of the United States were significantly less likely to practice (p≤.05). Younger faculty and educators located in dental schools were significantly more likely to practice (p≤.05). Educators viewed the primary benefits of current clinical practice as maintenance of clinical skills and the primary barrier as inadequate time. Factor analysis identified three factors pertaining to faculty's perceived benefits of clinical practice: 1) overall teaching effectiveness, 2) clinical competence and teacher effectiveness, and 3) professional stimulation. Regression analysis revealed that educators who felt clinical practice enhanced their overall teaching effectiveness were more likely to practice. Non-practicing faculty rated their clinical skills, and clinical teaching skills significantly lower than practicing faculty (p≤.05). In conclusion, barriers to practice exist but 46% of the responding educators felt the need to practice, suggesting that participation in clinical practice is an important issue for dental hygiene educators.