Comparing The Learning Approaches Using Biggs Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) Among Dental Undergraduates.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the learning approaches (deep and surface) among junior and senior dental students of Bahria University Medical and Dental College (BUMDC) based on the Biggs' questionnaire in an integrated hybrid curriculum. The hypothesis was based on this truth that senior students perceived themselves as deep learners due to the prolong experience of student centered educational content as compare to junior students. METHODOLOGY: This study followed a cross sectional design and the participants were dental undergraduates of BUMDC. A total of 225 Biggs Revised Study process Questionnaires (R-SPQ-2F) were filled by dental students of all four years of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) program. RESULTS: The rate of participation was 95% (214/225), out of which 105(49%) were junior and 109(51%) were senior students. The proportion of female students were173 (80.8%) and that of male students were 41 (19.2%).The median age of the study participants was 22 years. In our study, a higher mean score of deep learning approach (13.12) and deep strategy (15.02) was found in senior cohort as compare to junior cohort though not statistically significant difference was measured. The two cohorts did not differ significantly in surface approach. Only mean score of surface strategy depicted the statistically significant difference (p-value=0.013) among two groups. Generally, this study did not reveal any statistically significant difference in the mean scores of learning approaches and its subscales as measured by R-SPQ-2F in junior and senior dental students of Bahria Dental College. CONCLUSION: The study found no significant difference in the learning approaches of the two cohorts of junior and senior dental students of BUMDC in a hybrid curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]