Explaining the Lived Experience of Studying among Yazd Dental Students during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Educating a generation for another generation can be considered an investment of one generation for another generation and their development, growth awareness, and potential abilities. The educational system has a heavy task, so this implies that the most appropriate methods must be used in designing and implementing its activities. Students are taught and evaluated in medical schools according to their own methods. However, most of these methods are no longer usable with the COVID-19 pandemic, and new methods should inevitably replace traditional ones. This study aimed to explain the viewpoint of Yazd dental students about studying during the COVID-19 epidemic.

A phenomenological approach was used in this study to explain the perspective of Yazd dental students regarding studying during the COVID-19 epidemic. The data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews of 10 clinical students of Shahid Sadoughi Dental School in Yazd, even virtual by phone or in person. The interviews were transcribed after recording, and the sentences and statements related to the study objective were extracted, coded, and classified. The data were analyzed by the content analysis method.

 As a result of analyzing the data, seven main themes emerged: management during COVID-19, extracurricular activities, academic activities, protocols, scientific education, virtual education, anxiety, and worries.

According to the results, dental students were satisfied with e-learning, the Navid system and e-evaluation and their biggest concern during the holidays was academic retardation.