DENTAL AND LIFE-SCIENCE STUDENTS - A COMPARISON OF APPROACHES TO STUDY AND COURSE PERCEPTIONS

Approaches to study and course perceptions were investigated and compa red in both junior and senior students on a vocational course (dentist ry) and on a non-vocational course (life sciences) using standard ques tionnaires. Junior dental students reported significantly greater tend encies towards both Deep and Surface Approaches than junior life scien ce students. They also had significantly higher scores for Achieving A pproach, but in senior students this trend was reversed. Final year de ntal students experienced greater workloads and less freedom in learni ng than life science students and they also reported less organized st udy methods. These course perceptions demonstrate similar trends to th ose reported by Ramsden (1991). The implications for the courses conce rned and for curriculum development are considered.