• David W Chambers.
• University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. dchambers@pacific.edu
• J Dent Educ. 2009 Jan 1; 73 (1): 65-82.

AbstractThere have been many calls for strengthening the level of critical thinking among dental students and faculty members, but few analyses of how such curricular experiences actually affect them. This report provides a rich, multifaceted description of eight years' experience teaching a course in critical thinking. Among the data analyzed were a) course materials and learning experiences, b) student products demonstrating critical thinking, c) tests of subject matter knowledge, d) content analysis of what students and faculty members find problematic, e) a test of critical thinking aptitude, f) two personality inventories, g) measures of didactic and clinical performance, and h) student comments and evaluation of instruction. These data support the view that critical thinking involves more than knowledge and application of skills relative to science and research that can be taught using traditional didactic methods. Personality factors emerged as predictive of both critical thinking and clinical performance, and students' approaches to learning appeared to be influenced by their practical considerations of what is needed to practice, rather than by the logic of good science. This analysis argues for designing curricula on the full concept of competency (knowledge, skills, and values needed to function as a dental practitioner) and for exploring a third pedagogy of reflective practice to supplement the traditional ones of didactic and skill teaching in dental education.

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