The Effect of Applying Team-Based Learning in Some Dental Hygiene Education

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of team-based learning (TBL) on metacognition, academic achievement, confidence in dental hygiene assessment skills, and learning satisfaction among dental hygiene students during theoretical and practical classes on dental hygiene assessment. Methods: Students who participated in the classes completed surveys on metacognition and confidence in performance before the TBL sessions. After the sessions, additional surveys were conducted to measure metacognition, confidence in performance, academic achievement, and learning satisfaction. Results: The metacognition scores increased from 3.36 to 3.55 points, and confidence in performing dental hygiene assessment increased from 2.05 to 3.53 points, both demonstrating statistically significant differences. Academic achievement was recorded at 72.83 points, and learning satisfaction was measured at 4.21 points. Additionally, all variables, including metacognition, confidence in performance, academic achievement, and learning satisfaction, exhibited statistically significant correlations following the application of TBL. Conclusions: This study confirms that TBL is an effective approach for enhancing essential learning factors such as metacognition and confidence in performance in theoretical and practical dental hygiene education. Moreover, it demonstrates the potential applicability of TBL in practice-oriented education.