Effective Factors on Theoretical Classes Attendance of Dentistry Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Classrooms are suitable environment for transferring teachers’ experiences to students and gaining a better understanding of educational contents. The students’ absence from theoretical classes has been one of the increasing and most important educational problems in medical universities in recent years. This study was performed to determine factors effective on theoretical class attendance according to the point of view of dentistry students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2012. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 students of the School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, in 2012. Data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of 2 parts: demographic characteristics and effective factors on theoretical class attendance questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions scored based on a 5-point Likert scale, from very effective to ineffective, and scores ranging from 0 to 80. Higher scores indicated more effective factors. Data were analyzed by SPSS software through linear regression analysis. Values of P < 0.05 were considered significant. Of the 150 participants, 58.7% were female, 83.3% were single, and 61.3% were native students. The mean age of the participants was 20.7 ± 1.7 years. The mean score of the students was 58.24 ± 9.59. A significant statistical relationship was observed between area of residence, year of education, and sex of students and mean score of questionnaire. Among factors effective on theoretical class attendance, the highest score belonged to appropriate teaching method, teacher's scientific proficiency, student's interest in the related topic. However, taking part in the class as a duty and active involvement of students had the lowest scores. The findings of the present study showed that attendance in classes is affected by factors related to both teachers and students. However, appropriate teaching method, teacher's scientific proficiency, and student's interest in the related topic are the main factors which determine student's attendance in the classes.