students’ perception of effective learning experiences at an iranian dental school: a qualitative study using the critical incident technique

Background: dental students need to learn effectively to promote their professional servicesas a part of their daily activities. this study is conducted to determine dentistry students’experiences of factors that influence their learning.methods: this qualitative study was conducted using the critical incident technique andcontent analysis approach to examine dental students’ experiences with factors that influencean effective learning process. data were collected by individual in-depth semi-structuredinterviews with dental students at the kurdistan university of medical sciences.results: in all, 104 primary codes were obtained from the interviews and group discussions,classified into two major themes. the factors facilitating effective learning encompassed threecategories: teacher-related perceived experiences (8 subcategories), learning-related perceivedexperiences (5 subcategories), and compelling student-related perceived experiences (3subcategories). two factors inhibited learning: practical teacher-related perceived experiences(3 subcategories) and learning-related perceived experiences (3 subcategories).conclusion: the results showed that several instructor characteristics, such as being experiencedin teaching methods, having the required clinical skills, and “interacting with students andpatients” lead to effective learning. several other factors involved in the learning process, suchas student characteristics, a comprehensive curriculum fitting the theoretical and clinical needsof this field, interacting with peers, and keeping calm and being focused are the some of themost critical factors involved in effective learning.