Students Preference of Theory or Practical Teaching Methods in Orthodontic Postgraduate Education - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Due to the significance of the projected theme, an educator from New Zealand, Neil Fleming, designed a survey called VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic) in 1998. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the most preferred teaching technique of dental undergraduates and to illustrate any important distinction amongst the group of students. 31,243 respondents were interviewed regarding VARK preferences. The outcome of the research revealed that there were major divergences in students’ preferences for a particular teaching style. Overall, dental students preferred practical (kinaesthetic) learning to theoretical (aural) learning. The distribution of the scores also demonstrated preference for teachers who adopted well-planned practical teaching styles and assisted student note-taking throughout the teaching sessions. This case study will consider how these practices have impacted on teaching practices within the field of dental education. The paper will also report the outcomes of a small-scale survey of learning preferences of postgraduate orthodontics students and make recommendations for future teaching practice. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Problem Statement 5 Literature Review 6 Research Methodology 10 Data Collection Process 10 Distributed Questionnaires 11 Data Analysis 12 Validity and Reliability of the Case Study 12 Results 12 Discussion 15 Conclusion 18 Introduction The most important challenge facing dental instructors is the improvement in the quality of learner experience within the programme of study and educational surroundings. In undergraduate dental education, informative and scientific teaching is compressed into a span of four years sometimes even less (Bertolami 2001). This time span includes both theoretical and clinical practice which is a prerequisite to complete for successful graduation (Robotham n.d.). Although the incorporation of scientific approaches in the field of clinical practice is a fundamental aim of any dental course, learners often recognise that the secret for success in training is to pass the science classes by adopting rote learning and memorization approaches in addition to understanding the significance of this education when put into practice (Jordan, 2005). Bertolami (2001) has suggested that one of the most important reasons why students get frustrated with their programme of study was the lack of correspondence involving the learning (content) and the instruction delivery (form). While a considerable number of dental students had a preference for various learning techniques, most relied almost exclusively on the lecture as their primary means of information delivery. Teaching topics using lectures can be essentially passive for the learner and didactic approaches support rote memorization and note-taking (Biggs, 2003). It is essential for dental teachers to recognize that students differ from one another and what oftentimes differentiates them is their diverse approaches to learning and knowledge retention. Adhering to all these factual revelations, this case study explores the preferred teaching technique of postgraduate orthodontic students at King’s College London orthodontic program using questionnaires as the method for data collection. This research question will serve the purpose ...Download file to see next pagesRead More