Strides in Development of Medical Education (Nov 2014)
Effective Factors on Theoretical Classes Attendance of Dentistry Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences Iran
Abstract
Background & Objective: Classrooms are suitable environment for transferring teachers experiences to students and gaining a better understanding of educational contents The students absence from theoretical classes has been one of the increasing and most important educational problems in medical universities in recent years This study was performed to determine factors effective on theoretical class attendance according to the point of view of dentistry students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences Iran in 2012 Methods: This crosssectional study was conducted on 150 students of the School of Dentistry Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2012 Data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of 2 parts: demographic characteristics and effective factors on theoretical class attendance questionnaire The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions scored based on a 5point Likert scale from very effective to ineffective and scores ranging from 0 to 80 Higher scores indicated more effective factors Data were analyzed by SPSS software through linear regression analysis Values of P < 005 were considered significant Results: Of the 150 participants 587% were female 833% were single and 613% were native students The mean age of the participants was 207 ± 17 years The mean score of the students was 5824 ± 959 A significant statistical relationship was observed between area of residence year of education and sex of students and mean score of questionnaire Among factors effective on theoretical class attendance the highest score belonged to appropriate teaching method teachers scientific proficiency students interest in the related topic However taking part in the class as a duty and active involvement of students had the lowest scores Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that attendance in classes is affected by factors related to both teachers and students However appropriate teaching method teachers scientific proficiency and students interest in the related topic are the main factors which determine students attendance in the classes
