Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students

Abu Kasim, Noor Hayati and Abu Kassim, Noor Lide and A. Razak, A. A. and Abdullah, Hadijah and Bindal, Priyadarshni and Che' Abdul Aziz, Zeti Adura and Sulaiman, Eshamsul and Farook, M.S. and Gonzalez, M.A.G. and Thong, Y.L. and Ahmad, N.A. and Naimie, Zahra and Abdullah, M. and Abdul Aziz, Azwatee (2013) Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students. European Journal of Dental Education. pp. 1-7. ISSN 1396-5883

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Abstract

Training dentists today is challenging as they are expected to provide a wide range of dental care. In the provision of good dental care, soft skills are equally important as clinical skills. Therefore in dental education the development of soft skills are of prime concern. This study sought to identify the development of soft skills when dental students are paired in their clinical training. In this perception study, four open-ended items were used to elicit students’ feedback on the appropriateness of using clinical pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills. The most frequently cited soft skills were teamwork (70%) and communication (25%) skills. However, both negative and positive behaviours were reported. As for critical thinking and problem solving skills, more positive behaviours were reported for abilities such as to explain, analyze, find ideas and alternative solutions, and make decisions. Leadership among peers was not evident as leading without legitimate authority could be a hindrance to its development. If clinical pairing is to be used as an effective instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst students, clear guidelines need to be developed to prepare students to work in a dental team and the use of appropriate assessment tools can facilitate the development of these soft skills.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	778/31536
Uncontrolled Keywords:	* soft skills; * clinical pairing; * clinical dental students
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) R Medicine > RK Dentistry
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Dentistry
Depositing User:	Prof Dr Noor Lide Abu Kassim
Date Deposited:	29 Aug 2013 13:36
Last Modified:	26 Sep 2017 14:57
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/31536

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