Development Strategies in Medical Education

Mendeley  

Zotero  

kheirandish N, Ezati H, Jafari N, Heydari S, Hakimian R. Identifying the characteristics of an effective learning environment from the perspective of clinical dental students: A qualitative study. DSME 2026; 13 (1) :47-62
URL: http://dsme.hums.ac.ir/article-1-529-en.html

Introduction: Identifying the components of an effective learning environment can clarify the conditions that support high-quality learning and inform educational planning. This study explored the characteristics of an effective learning environment from the perspective of dental students in the clinical phase.
Methods: This qualitative study used a descriptive phenomenological approach. Twenty-four clinical dental students from Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd and the universities of medical sciences in Mashhad and Birjand were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling until data saturation. Data were collected through in-depth, face-to-face semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were considered to support the trustworthiness of the findings.
Results: The analysis generated three main themes and 15 subthemes. The main themes were the physical environment (classrooms, clinical departments, and welfare facilities), the social environment (faculty members, clinical staff, and peers), and the academic-educational environment (clinical teaching). Participants particularly emphasized faculty teaching and interactions, as well as the adequacy of educational and clinical facilities.
Discussion: From the participants’ perspective, an effective learning environment depends on the interaction of adequate physical resources, supportive social relationships, and organized clinical teaching. The findings indicate a perceived gap between some existing conditions and students’ preferred learning environment and may help dental schools prioritize local evaluation and improvement initiatives.