Students’ Perspectives in pre-clinical and during the clinical courses in Dental School of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in year 2016

Introduction: Studies have shown that educational environments play an important role in the success, happiness and motivation of the students. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspective of dental students regarding their learning environment in the dental school of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all dental students studying in 2016 were selected (229 pre-clinical students and 383 clinical education students). The students' perspectives about their learning environment were examined in seven domains through the DSLES (Dental Student Learning Environment survey) questionnaire with 48 questions. Validity and reliability of this research tool have already been confirmed by Mojtahedzadeh et al. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Chi Square and T-test. Results: 336 out of 612 questionnaires were completed and analyzed. The findings showed that positive attitude toward dentistry was seen in 87% of students (n=287). The highest score and the lowest score were in the field of organization and supportiveness. The mean scores obtained for the fields of flexibility, emotional environment, meaningful experience and breadth of interest were 1.9 ± 0.5, 2.1 ± 0.4, 2.0 ± 0.4 and 2.1 ± 0.6, respectively. The scores of flexibility (P <0.01), student-student interaction (P <0.002), breadth of interest (P <0.01) and the total mean (P <0.002) in Pre-clinical were higher significantly. There was a significant correlation between meaningful experience and GPA (p=0.04). Conclusion: According to the results, it is suggested that more attention be paid to flexibility in the content of the curriculum and communicational ways between the students and heads of the faculty to answer their concerns.