The Effect of Educational Research Workshop on Learning Statistics and Research by Dental Students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of research among students is known for all educational and research administrative staff. Involving students in research projects leads to an increase of knowledge and competency in research among students, and improves students’ ability to analyze studies in basic and clinical sciences. The main aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of workshop on learning statistics and research by dental students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2012.Materials and Methods: The study was experimental. 50 dental students from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences participated in a 3-day workshop. We used a pretest and posttest in four panels to evaluate the process of learning in the workshop. The data were analyzed through paired t-test and ANOVA using SPSS software, version 19.0. Using the Cronbach's alpha, we found the reliability of 0.81 and 0.83 for the pre-test and the post-test, respectively.Results: 47 students participated in the workshop and the pretest and posttest. The mean score in the pretest was 8±3.6 and in the posttest 9.75±3. The difference between the participants’ mean score in the pretest and posttest was significant (Paired t-test, P-value=0.007). Of course, in the analysis of the scores, we found that the difference between the mean score of questions related to the statistics panel in the pretest and posttest was not significant (P=0.13). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that holding workshops could be effective for learning research by students. Of course, it is recommended to use more effective teaching methods to train students on statistics.

Keywords

• research
• workshop
• teaching
• undergraduate period
• dental students