Feedback From Dental Students Using Two Alternate Coaching Methods: Qualitative Focus Group Study

Student feedback is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of institutions. However, implementing feedback can be challenging due to practical difficulties. While student feedback on courses can improve teaching, there is a debate about its effectiveness if not well-written to provide helpful information to the receiver.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of coaching on proper feedback given by dental students in Saudi Arabia.

A total of 47 first-year dental students from a public dental school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, completed 3 surveys throughout the academic year. The surveys assessed their feedback on a Dental Anatomy and Operative Dentistry course, including their feedback on the lectures, practical sessions, examinations, and overall experience. The surveys focused on assessing student feedback on the knowledge, understanding, and practical skills achieved during the course, as aligned with the defined course learning outcomes. The surveys were distributed without coaching, after handout coaching and after workshop coaching on how to provide feedback, designated as survey #1, survey #2, and survey #3, respectively. The same group of students received all 3 surveys consecutively (repeated measures design). The responses were then rated as neutral, positive, negative, or constructive by 2 raters. The feedback was analyzed using McNemar test to compare the effectiveness of the different coaching approaches.

While no significant changes were found between the first 2 surveys, a significant increase in constructive feedback was observed in survey #3 after workshop coaching compared with both other surveys (P<.001). The results also showed a higher proportion of desired changes in feedback, defined as any change from positive, negative, or neutral to constructive, after survey #3 (P<.001). Overall, 20.2% reported desired changes at survey #2% and 41.5% at survey #3 compared with survey #1.

This study suggests that workshops on feedback coaching can effectively improve the quality of feedback provided by dental students. Incorporating feedback coaching into dental school curricula could help students communicate their concerns more effectively, ultimately enhancing the learning experience.