Comparison of attitudes towards dental education among dental students in Japan and China

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify and compare the attitudes of dental students towards dental education in Japan and China. Fifty-four dental students from the Stomatology School of China Medical University and 51 dental students from the Dental Faculty of Kyushu University, Japan, participated in this study. Information was derived from a self-answered questionnaire consisting of 11 items. Significant differences in the responses of the participants from the two countries were detected for 10 of the questionnaire items (P < 0.05). Nearly three-quarters of the Japanese students were satisfied with the teaching faculties of their schools, while only a quarter of the Chinese students indicated satisfaction. A total of 69% of Chinese students thought that learning a foreign language wasted too much time compared with none of the Japanese students. A student-oriented teaching mode was not well accepted by either of the groups, and 62% of Chinese students and 53% of Japanese students wanted to increase the duration of the clinical practice stage of education. The findings from this study enhance our understanding of differences and/or similarities among dental students in the two nations. This information may help to define strategies to improve the quality of dental education, and especially exchange programmes of international students.

Characteristics of undergraduate dental students in Japan: English competency and willingness to study abroad

“…Our main finding in this study was that the majority of the dental students did not study English on their own, possibly because there was no curriculum requirement to learn English. This was also found in a previous study at another dental school in Japan. The ratio of students who indicated an interest in studying abroad after graduation was higher when compared with those in China.…”

Comparing dental student preclinical self‐assessment in the United States and Japan

“…A comparison of student attitudes toward dental education in Japan and China noted that Japanese students preferred lecture-based passive learning rather than collaborative approaches. 23 They hypothesized that this difference may arise from the Japanese cultural traits of self-restraint and reticence. While it would be naive to overgeneralize the traits of an entire culture, it is possible that these differences in education style and cultural influences may be contributing to the ability of these Japanese students to self-assess their work.…”

“…22 Japanese students are highly motivated and often geared toward perseverance and self-discipline. 23 Additionally, students in Japan excel with memorization and often feel pressured to perform at very high standards. 22 Dental education in Japan consists of a 6-year program that starts directly after high school.…”

Student Potential for Self-assessment in a Clinical Dentistry Practical Training Course on Communication Skills

“…Further research would be needed to clarify the relationship between sex and self-evaluation scores. Japanese dental students tended to prefer passive learning because of their self-restraint and reticence [ 31 ]. Traditionally, dentistry in Japan was a male-dominated profession and the percentage of female dental students was below 50%.…”