Use of a Modified Gradual Release of Responsibility Pedagogy in Student Preparation for an Objective Structured...

Dental education, especially in pediatric dentistry, faces varied challenges in the pursuit of preparing competent and confident oral health professionals. The authors introduced a modified gradual release of responsibility (GRR) pedagogy designed to balance traditional instruction and active learning strategies. This study assessed the effect of the pedagogy on first-time pass rates of a pediatric dentistry specific Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and student's self-efficacy with the course content.

Three online modules were created using a modified GRR framework. These modules addressed three critical topics that historically had higher failure rates on the OSCE, namely: local anesthesia maximum dosage calculation, pulpal diagnosis and treatment planning in primary teeth, and management of time-sensitive dental trauma. First-time pass rates and overall exam performance were compared to five-year historical data as the control with the chi-square test of independence. Participants also completed a ten-item, pre- and post-module completion five-point Likert scale questionnaire assessing student self-efficacy, and the results were compared using a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test.

First-time pass rates for the test group (n = 228) were significantly improved compared to historical controls (n = 546) for pulpal diagnosis (p = 0.002), dental trauma management (p = 0.002), and overall OSCE performance (p = 0.003). First-time pass rates for local anesthesia calculation were not significantly different (p = 0.09). Student self-efficacy significantly improved for all ten items (p < 0.001).

Using the GRR pedagogy improved student pass-rates on an OSCE; as well as increased student self-efficacy with the course material. This pedagogy holds promise in developing engaged learners across dental education settings.