Abstract
Feedback can enhance learning and is thought to be highly valued by students; however, it is not clear from the literature how dental students actually use feedback. This study aimed to explore how dental students use feedback in a variety of contexts. Qualitative methods involving audio-recorded focus groups were used to explore the use of feedback by undergraduate dental students studying at three UK dental schools. A purposive sampling strategy was used to ensure diverse representation across the undergraduate dental programmes in each of the schools. Six focus groups, involving a total of 72 students, were undertaken. Thematic analysis identified fivemain themes relating to the use of feedback: value, future applicability, accessibility, variability and understanding. The inter-connectivity and interaction of the themes (along with their subthemes) were used to develop a model for optimising feedback with the aim of enhancing its potential use by students. The use of feedback by students would appear to be strongly influenced by several factors. Understanding these factors and how they interlink may be helpful to education providers who are seeking to optimise their feedback processes.
Highlights
Feedback can enhance learning and is thought to be highly valued by students; it is not clear from the literature how dental students use feedback
It would appear that the previously stated opinions are not shared by all students; a significant proportion fail to fully engage with the feedback process or do so only when their performance fails to align with their self-assessed ability.[6,7,8]
Focus groups were undertaken in three UK dental schools, and these were facilitated by clinical academic staff from the participating schools
Summary
Feedback can enhance learning and is thought to be highly valued by students; it is not clear from the literature how dental students use feedback. The educational literature surrounding feedback suggests that it is highly valued by students for its ability to enhance learning.[1,2] Hattie & Jaeger[3] suggest that feedback is an important aspect of learning and Ramsden[4] states that “effective” comments on students work characterise good teaching practice. As such student evaluation of feedback is often a central metric for the evaluation of teaching quality.[5].
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