Rallying for Reflection: Pilot Use of Rubric to Facilitate Self-Reflection in Dental Education

Despite its utility, peer feedback within higher education curricula has not demonstrated a consistent correlation with academic performance. Student self-reflection may be one factor of influence, as one's metacognitive assessment can alter feedback perception and processing. Yet, formal instruction on reflection remains rare. This single-subject study assesses the level of students' self-reflective capabilities through the adaptation and pilot use of a rubric based on Korthagen's ALACT reflection model.

A total of 125 third-year dental students enrolled in a diagnostic sciences course received peer feedback on a case-based assignment. Subsequently, reviewees completed self-reflection on four domains of their performance (examination, diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning and resource utilisation). Two evaluators experienced in dental education adapted an ALACT-based rubric to score reflections and assess the frequency of complete self-reflection, most commonly missed elements and the incidence of neglecting peer feedback.

Of the 125 students, 60 (48%) submitted a complete self-reflection on at least one of four performance domains, with only 1 student (0.08%) submitting a complete self-reflection on all four. The most neglected area of reflection was the inclusion of a rationale for proposed future improvements, with on average 33/125 (26%) expressing the significance of their plans. Furthermore, 13/125 (10%) failed to address peer-suggested shortcomings.

Current findings demonstrate that student self-reflection is rarely performed to completion, which may impact the integration of peer feedback. We propose a framework for encouraging and evaluating self-reflection instruction and assessment, applicable within both didactic and clinical settings, as a means to set future clinicians up for success.