Factors Influencing Attitude towards An Innovative Teaching Aid using Simulator Kit

Abstract

Globally, local anaesthesia is a vital skill and part of the undergraduate dental curriculum. The inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is the most frequent regional anaesthesia techniques employed in dental procedures. However, this technique has been reported to have high rates of failure among dental undergraduates and interns. The Local Anaesthetic Simulator Kit (LASK) has therefore been developed. The main objective of this study is thus to examine factors concerning the diffusion of innovation attributes on students’ attitudes towards innovative teaching aids using simulator kit. A cross-sectional survey was performed using a questionnaire, and distributed to dental undergraduates. The items of survey question have been adapted from previous studies. A total of 150 data were valid for data analysis. Respondents were Year 1 and 3 dental students, involving 80% female and 30% male. The study findings reported that the attributes including relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, observability and trialability significantly influence attitudes of students towards the new teaching aid for local anaesthetics. However, there is no statistically significant relationship between complexity and the outcome variable. This empirical study may contribute greatly to the formal instructional significance of dental undergraduates, particularly in the clinical competence assessment at a more microscopic level.