title: Collaborative learning in pre-clinical dental hygiene education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dental hygiene education continues to move beyond mastery of content material and skill development to learning concepts that promote critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative learning and determine the growth in intellectual development of 54 first-year dental hygiene students.
  
  
  METHODS
  The control group used traditional pre-clinical teaching and the experimental group used collaborative pedagogy for instrument introduction. All students were subjected to a post-test evaluating their ability to apply the principles of instrumentation. Intellectual development was determined using pre- and post-tests based on the Perry Scheme of Intellectual Development. Student attitudes were assessed using daily Classroom Assessment Activities and an end-of-semester departmental course evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings indicated no significant difference between collaborative learning and traditional learning in achieving pre-clinical competence as evidenced by the students' ability to apply the principles of instrumentation. Advancement in intellectual development did not differ significantly between groups. Value added benefits of a collaborative learning environment as identified by the evaluation of student attitudes included decreased student reliance on authority, recognition of peers as legitimate sources of learning and increased self-confidence. A significant difference in student responses to daily classroom assessments was evident on the 5 days a collaborative learning environment was employed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental hygiene students involved in a pre-clinical collaborative learning environment are more responsible for their own learning and tend to have a more positive attitude toward the subject matter. Future studies evaluating collaborative learning in clinical dental hygiene education need to investigate the cost/benefit ratio of the value added outcomes of collaborative learning.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Mueller-Joseph
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nappo-Dattoma
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003756:Dental Hygienists / Q000193:education*; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis / Q000295:instrumentation; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007858:Learning; D010379:Peer Group; D011340:Problem Solving; D016730:Program Development; D012649:Self Concept; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D013850:Thinking
keywords: Classroom Assessment; Collaborative Learning; Dental Hygiene Education; Intellectual Development; Learning Environment Preference; Measure of Intellectual Development; Perry Scheme of Intellectual Development; Preclinical Course; Principles of Instrumentation