Factors related to clinical practicum achievement of dental students of Khon Kaen University

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study the relationships between the student characteristic factors, the instruction factors, and clinical practicum achievement of dental students of Khon Kaen University. The student characteristic factors composed past academic grade, study habits and attitude, sex, and socioeconomic status. The instruction factors composed of opinion on instruction. And the clinical practicum achievement used both the sixth year clinical practicum grade and the sixth year cumulative clinical practicum grade of each department and average all the departments as the dependent variables. The sample were 37 the sixth year dental students in academic year 1990. Survey form of study habits and attitude, questionnaire for sex and socioeconomic status, questionnaire for opinion on instruction, and transcript were used to collect the data. The data were analyzed by the stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results were summarized as follow: When using the sixth year clinical practicum grade as the dependent variable, for average all the department, Pedodontic Department, Periodontic Department, Restorative Department, and Prosthodontic Department, it was found that the best predictor was the fifth year grade and the percentages of explanation were 19%, 21%, 14%, 17% and 14% respectively. (R =0.1986, 02148, 0.1427, 0.1760, 0.1423 respectively). For Oral Surgery Department, the best predictor was the level of education of mother and the percentages of explanation were 14% (R =0.1423). For Orthodontic Department, the best predictor was sex and the percentages of explanation were 18% (R =0.1896). For Oral Diagnosis Department and Oral Biology Department, no variables in this study could explain. When using the sixth year cumulative clinical practicum grade as the dependent variable, for average ail the departments, Pedodontic Department, Oral Diagnosis Department, Periodontic Department, and Oral Biology Department, the best predictor was the fourth year grade and the percentages of explanation were 29%, 19%, 10%, 15% and 14% respectively (R =0.2923, 0.1996, 0.1067, 0.1579 and 0.1405 respectively). For Oral Surgery Department, the best predictors were the fourth year grade and opinion on teacher, and the percentages of explanation was 47% (R =0.4721). For Orthodontic Department the best predictor was sex, and the percentage of explanation was 22% (R =0.2201). For Restorative Department, the best predictors were working method and delay avoidance, and opinion on evaluation, and the percentage of explanation was 53% (R =0.5340). For Prosthodontic Department, no variable in this study could explain.