Students' perception about the characteristics and behaviors of their teachers linked to an effective clinical teaching

Abstract

To diagnose the state of clinical teaching in the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Concepción, teachers' characteristics and behaviors associated with its effectiveness were evaluated. This evaluation was conducted at the end of the academic year 2009, through questionnaires applied to students in fourth and fifth year, which rated their teachers on a 34-item evaluation form. The results allowed to assess the clinical teaching (4.40 SD = 0.99), and describe the levels of approval (85.2%) and achievement (75.0%) for the teaching dimensions defined for this study. While an effective teacher for this scenario has been described and defined in his/her role, not all teachers fulfill this ideal. The descriptive diagnosis of clinical teaching, based on the evaluation of teacher's characteristics and behavior enables to know the profile of the group evaluated, identifying their strengths and weaknesses.