Journal of Isfahan Dental School

Evaluating Dental Students’ Attitude Toward Their Field of Study and Future Career in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2020-2021

Document Type : مقاله‌های پژوهشی

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine, Dental Research Center, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Oral Public Health, Dental Material Research Center, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Student Research Committee, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the attitude of Isfahan dental students toward their field of study and Future careers in 2020-2021.
Materials and Methods:  This study was conducted in the spring of 1400 at the Faculty of Dentistry of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. 220 third and final-year dental students participated in this study. A researcher-made questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was used to examine students' attitudes in fields of study (9 questions) and future careers (11 questions). The results were reported with mean and standard deviation and T-test was used to analyze the data. The significance level in the analyzes was considered 0.05.
Results: The score of the attitude towards the field of study was 32.76 (± 5.18), which is above the average. Also, the score of the attitude towards the future career was 29.89 (±5.89), which is lower than the average. The T-test showed a significant difference between the third-year and final-year students in the average score of the academic field (p value < 0.02).
Conclusion: The attitude of dental students towards their field of study is higher than the average (positive) but towards their future career is lower than the average, which can be due to the economic conditions of the society or an increase in the number of dental students, which hurts attitude of students towards their future career.
Keywords: Dental students; Attitude; Career choice; Job satisfaction

1. Saeedi Tehrani S, Asghari F. Motives for choosing medicine as a university major: A cross-sectional study. Future Med Educ J 2018; 8(1): 17-21.
2. Ingold PV, Kleinmann M, König CJ, Melchers KG. Shall we continue or stop disapproving of self-presentation? Evidence on impression management and faking in a selection context and their relation to job performance. Eur J Work Organ Psychol 2015; 24(3): 420-32.
3. Shafiabadi A. Career and professional guidance and counseling and career selection theories [in Persian]. Tehran, Iran: Roshd; 2011.
4. Vigild M, Schwarz E. Characteristics and study motivation of Danish dental students in a longitudinal perspective. Eur J Dent Educ 2001; 5(3): 127-33.
5. Behnampour N, Heshmati H, Rahimi S. A survey on Paramedical and health students' satisfaction with their discipline and some of the related factors [in Persian]. Iran J Med Educ 2012; 12(8): 616-8.
6. Faraji Khiyavi F, Valipor A, Khademi M. A study on students' expectations of academic field and their attitude to prospecting job among school of health students at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences [in Persian]. EDC 2015; 6(1): 43-51.
7. Malakoutian M, Parvaresh, A. The employment situation of environmental health graduates in Iran between 1996-2002 [in Persian]. Iran J Med Educ 2003; 3(2): 65-71.
8. Beedemariam G, Ebro M, Ageze H, Weldegerima B, Legesse B, Tilahun G. Pharmacy students’ attitude and future career choices: a survey of four public schools of pharmacy in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Pharm J. 2014; 30(1): 57-63.
9. Hossain N, Shah N, Shah T, Lateef SB. Physicians’ migration: perceptions of Pakistani medical students. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2016; 26(8): 696-701.
10. Avramova N, Yaneva K, Bonev B. First-year dental students’ motivation and attitudes for choosing the dental profession. Acta Med Acad 2014; 43(2): 113-21.
11. Fekri A, Alizadeh M, Yargholi-Sarufinejad A. Study of the medical students views about own future caree [in Persian]. J Res Med Sci 1998; 3(1): 90-3.
12. Iravani K, Amini M, Doostkam A. A survey of medical students’ attitude toward medicine and it’s future in Jahrom Medical University (basic and clinical stages) [in Persian]. Iran J Med Educ 2002; 2(0): 28-9.
13. Sahebalzamani M, Mohammadi M, Adhami Moghadam F. Determining and comparing the degree of awareness, interest and attitude of dentistry and pharmacy students of Tehran Medical universities toward their field of study in basic science and graduation time [in Persian]. J Res Dent Sci 2019; 16(3): 217-26.
14. Samadi MT, Taghizadeh J, Kashitarash Esfahani Z, Mohammadi M. Evaluating environmental health students' attitudes toward their discipline and future career in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences in 2008 [in Persian]. Iran J Med Educ 2010; 9(4): 331-6.
15. Khammarnia M, Shokohian F, Eskandari S, Kassani A, Setoodezadeh FA. Students' attitudes toward their education and job prospects in Zahedan health school in 2015 [in Persian]. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2017; 15(11): 1003-14.
16. Mobarakabadi A, Shamsi M, Najafianzadeh M. Health student attitude towards their field of study and future career in health faculty of Arak University of Medical Sciences Iran [in Persian]. SDME 2014; 11(2): 280-5.
17. Jafari A, Gharagozloo P, Baghalian A. Evaluation of Tehran University of Medical Sciences dental students' attitude toward their field of study and future [in Persian]. JDM 2020; 33(2): 116-25.
18. Hedayati Z, Seifi N, Hekmatfar S, Badakhsh S. Attitudes of Shiraz Dental Students toward their discipline and future career [in Persian]. Iran J Med Educ 2012; 12(3): 176-83.
19. Seifi S, Sum S. Comparison of dental students consent towards their educational line in clinical and basic science course [in Persian]. Babol Univ Med Sci 2015; 3(2): 38-45.
20. Gholami A, Hesari B, Gazerani A, Ardameh M, Khani I, Boloki H, et al. Attitude of students toward their field of study and future career in Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences [in Persian]. J Neyshabur Univ Med Sci 2016; 4(1): 9-16.
21. Kabil NS, Allam GG, Abd El-Geleel OM. Motivational reasons for choosing dentistry as a professional career & factors affecting specialty choice among final year dental students. Future Dent J 2018; 4(2): 308-13.
22. Neamatollahi H, Mehrabkhani M, Ghafarpour S, Ghasemi A. Evaluation of Mashhad Dental School Students’ motives and viewpoints on their Career choices in 2010 [in Persian]. J Mashhad Dent Sch 2014; 38(1): 71-84.
23. Sadeghi M, Bahgerian A. Postgraduate aspiration in dental students at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences [in Persian]. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2013; 12(2): 103-14.
Journal of Isfahan Dental School
Volume 19, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
December 2022
Pages 303-312