Self-regulation Perceptions of Dental Students

Abstract

Objective Self-regulation refers to individuals’ capacity to govern and oversee their thoughts and actions, enabling them to adjust and react suitably to various things. This skill is important to be a lifelong learner. Dentistry is one profession where self-regulation can differentiate one from being called a “five-star doctor.” This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of self-regulation of students in a Philippine dental university. Material and Methods The research employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design using survey questionnaires. The Self-Regulation Formative Questionnaire (SRFQ) by Gaumer Erikson & Noonan (2018) consists of 22 items with four components: plan (5 items), monitor (6 items), control (6 items), and reflect (5 items). Participants’ responses were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Twenty dental students from the same university were selected to answer the questionnaire as a pilot test. Subsequently, the questionnaire’s reliability was assessed, yielding a Cronbach's coefficient alpha value of 0.918. Results A total of 338 dental students (18% response rate) across the different year levels answered. Plan (75%) had the lowest percentage among the four components, and Reflect (82%) had the highest percentage. Overall, the students had good self-regulation (78.5%). Conclusions Dental students at the university have good self-regulation perceptions. Future studies can look into increasing the sample size and having respondents from other dental universities. Semi-structured interviews can also be done to understand the students’ responses better. Likewise, promoting self-regulation among students should be emphasized.