Knowledge and Attitude of Faculty Members Towards Integrated Curriculum in Dentistry and Its Related Factors

Introduction: Integration of curriculum is currently performing in dental schools. Many factors such as proper and purposive planning, teachers’ experience and attitude, optimal condition and facilities in the context can impact the integration process. This research aimed to investigate knowledge and attitude of dentistry faculty members towards integrated curriculum and its related factors. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, knowledge and attitude of 51 faculty members of Guilan Dental School were assessed through a researcher-made questionnaire in 2016. Knowledge and attitude parts were assessed by 8 and 18 questions, respectively. Wrong answer to each question of knowledge part scores 0 and the right answer 1. In calculation of attitude score, score of 5 was given to complete agreement, 4 to agreement, 3 to no opinion, 2 to disagreement, and 1 to complete disagreement. The validity of questionnaire was confirmed through content validity test [Content Validity Index (CVI)=0.8, Content Validity Ratio (CVR)=0.86)] and the reliability of questionnaire was examined by test-retest (r=0.8). The obtained data were analyzed by the Independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Pearson correlation, and Spearman rank tests in SPSS (version 20). Results: Faculty members’ Mean±SD score in knowledge was 3.2±0.273. About 7.8% of the faculty members had high level of knowledge, 27.5% good level of knowledge and 43.1% moderate level of knowledge. About 64.7% of the faculty members had negative attitude towards integrated education, but 27.5% of members had positive attitude towards integrated education. There were not significant relationships between age, gender and work experience with knowledge scores and also attitude. Conclusion: Given the need for change in teaching methods, we hope to increase student’s problem-solving skills, and deep sustainable learning with creation and preparation of curriculum integration requirements.