title: Effectively teaching self-assessment: preparing the dental hygiene student to provide quality care.
abstract: Literature on self-assessment presents substantial evidence regarding the impact of self-assessment on dental practitioners and quality of care. Related dental hygiene research documents a need to enhance self-assessment curricula; however, no published curriculum module exists to effectively teach self-assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a self-assessment educational module for dental hygiene curricula designed using adult learning principles. This module was implemented with thirty-three dental hygiene students in their junior year using a one-group, pretest-posttest design. Results analyzed using matched pairs Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated the self-assessment module was effective (p<0.01 corresponding to a Bonferroni FWER of 0.20) in improving some aspects of the students' perceptions and voluntary clinical application of self-assessment. No statistically significant relationship was found between the students' perceptions and their application of self-assessment using Pearson's correlation. The quality of self-assessment comments on the students' daily clinical evaluation forms was also enhanced after module implementation (p<0.05). This change in quality after module implementation was demonstrated by a quantitative analysis using a self-designed rubric and a qualitative thematic analysis of student comments to identify predominant themes. Students also were surveyed to determine which module components were most effective. Findings indicate a self-assessment educational module enhanced these dental hygiene students' self-assessment perceptions and skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Hygiene, Eastern Washington University, 310 N. Riverpoint Blvd., Box E, Spokane, WA 99202, USA. sarah.jackson@ewu.edu
authors.forename: Sarah C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Elizabeth J Tipton
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Murff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D003729:Dental Care / Q000592:standards; D003756:Dental Hygienists / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012655:Self-Evaluation Programs; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*