Praxis teaching in the ambit of learning assessment of endodontics in a Chilean university

Abstract

The practice of assessing must ensure that the outcome of the process be a reflection of the learning achieved by students. The aim of this study was to describe the essential attributes of the praxis teacher in the area of Endodontics Learning Evaluation, in the School of Dentistry at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile. This study is designed to diagnose the reliability and objectivity of assessing the learning process, as a framework for innovation, and with a focus on evaluating endodontics skills. This hermeneutic study has a qualitative methodology. It was based on in-depth semi-structured interviews applied to 14 students and 5 teachers, and two focus groups consisting of eight students each. When the study was conducted, the research findings indicated that the evaluation process was not objective and lacked established criteria, and especially a guide to determining the skills. The theoretical evaluation was only summative. The formative role was not formally established. The subjects answered mostly psychometric instruments by multiple choice and with short or extended answers. It was concluded that teacher practice held meaning only if it was backed by academic expertise in the area of endodontics, according to no clear criteria or validated instruments. On the other hand, the groundwork was in place for using an epistemological style in endodontics. This provided a basis for the actual improvements, and allowed the tools developed to be dialectically interconnected with teacher experience. A quantitative analysis was not considered, but could be supplemented later to enhance the data analysis in a future study.