Exploring Oral Hygiene Educators` use of reflective practice on their teaching

Abstract

Reflecting on teaching helps educators develop an understanding which will enable them to assess their growth, develop informed decision-making skills, as well as become proactive and confident in their teaching. However, there is a gap in literature concerning the use of reflection by professional oral hygiene and dental therapist educators. For educators who aspire to elevate their teaching standards to enhance students’ learning outcomes, a comprehensive understanding and correct implementation of reflective practice is imperative. Therefore, it is important to explore the current application of reflective practice by oral hygiene educators. This study’s aim is to explore oral hygiene educator`s use of reflective practice on their teaching. The study uses a qualitative approach with an exploratory descriptive design. The research population consists of professional oral hygiene and dental therapists who were teaching oral hygiene at a South African higher education institution. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of thematic analysis. Findings reveal that educators had superficial to moderate levels of reflection on their teaching practices. While they acknowledged the benefits of reflection for personal and professional development, they lacked prior knowledge on how to reflect or access resources for reflective practices in teaching. Additionally, educators believed that the department in which they taught was under-valuing reflection, as a learning strategy. This study recommends the department, where the educators taught, to prioritise reflection by offering formal learning opportunities for educators and establishing clear guidelines for its practice.