Effectiveness of the Field Training Project on the Empathy of Dental Students

Abstract

        The objective of this survey research was to assess the empathy quotient status among third to fourth year dental students, Srinakharinwirot University, before and after field work. The researched population were 103, third to fourth year dental students studying in the Faculty of Dentistry. The research instruments were composed of two parts, the first part was personal data questionnaire and the second part was the empathy quotient questionnaire adapted from Empathy Quotient of Baron - Cohen,S. and Wheelwrite, S. Descriptive statistics and paired t-test were performed to analyze the data.

        The research found that the whole students and the specific group classified by personal characteristics of students; for in stance: gender, third and forth year level, province where they were born, province where they lived before studying in the university, the location of high school and the sort of government high school, the students could gain the empathy quotient scores after field work more than before field work statistically significant (p < 0.001). It found that students who studied at coeducational high schools could gain empathy quotient scores after the field work more than before the field work statistically significant (p < 0.001), but students who studied at boys’ school or girls’ school could gain the empathy quotient scores after field work not different from before field work statistically significant (p = 0.142). This research proposed that activities and teaching period before the field work should be increased, in order to make the students increasingly gain the empathy quotient experience.