A factor analysis of students' ratings of clinical teaching.
Factor analytic methods were used to uncover what students perceive to be the underlying dimensions of clinical teaching. Results of this study were based on 1,796 ratings of clinical instruction completed by 226 students on 104 faculty members. The four factors students found basic to effective clinic instruction were: 1) an instructor meeting teaching responsibilities, 2) an instructor behaving in a manner conducive to clinical learning, 3) an instructor being technically competent, and 4) an instructor enjoying his or her job. The first factor was the strongest, accounting for the majority of the explained variance. Providing faculty with students' summary ratings on these four factors may encourage improvement in clinical teaching skills.
D004497:Education, Dental; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007858:Learning; D011361:Professional Competence; D013335:Students, Dental; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards