A qualitative study on self-efficacy beliefs, self-regulation, and persistence of dentistry students

One of the crucial stages in the journey of Philippine dentistry students is the dynamic transition from the two years of preparatory phase to the next four years of dentistry proper. Students initially have a firm commitment to finish their program. Unfortunately, multitudinous factors can drive them to drop out. Aside from knowing if self-efficacy and self-regulation beliefs play a significant role in students’ persistence, it behooves them to identify other factors of persistence. A qualitative method using focus group discussion (FGD) was employed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the other factors of persistence that might be present in the students. Ten respondents representing the different subtypes of regular and irregular students were invited to be part of the FGD. Those enrolled in the clinics were excluded from the study. Questions were carefully constructed with exploratory open-ended questions to probe respondents. Four themes were extracted from the content of the FGD on factors of persistence. They included (1) obedience to parents, (2) personal dreams, (3) social support, and (4) positive mindset. Dentistry is a challenging program. Self-regulation and self-efficacy play a significant role in students’ persistence and knowing the factors why they persist is important for educators and guidance counselors. Interventions can be designed to improve students’ self-regulation and increase students’ perceptions of their academic capabilities by guiding them through strategies that can improve their performances.