The determination of the attitude of oral and maxillofacial surgery residents in the Islamic Azad University of Dentistry Tehran about the quality of efficacy of peer learning in 2022-2023

Teaching and learning through peers during education can encourage students towards this type of teaching and learning and improve their practical and theoretical skills. The determination of the attitude of oral and maxillofacial surgery residents about the quality of efficacy of peer learning.

This qualitative study was conducted on 8 oral, maxillofacial surgery residents from the first to the fifth year studying at the Faculty of Dentistry of Tehran Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2022-2023. A semi-structured questionnaire including areas of practical skills, theoretical knowledge, communication skills, mastery of college rules and regulations, and job skills was designed by the researcher. Assistants' attitudes were measured through interviews and their answers to questionnaire questions were reported.

  The results showed that in all topics of basic science group education, Ground Round meetings, and in Minor surgery teaching was done by professors to residents. In some cases, if professors are assigned to perform surgery, the training process takes place under the supervision of the senior year. Senior assistants believed that at the beginning of their training in the hospital, due to the lack of access to professors, their training was done through assistants. In most cases, training was done by observation and peer teaching process did not happen. In the discussion of integrating peer learning into the educational curriculum, the residents' opinions were that despite the usefulness of this teaching method, forcing to use it, especially tying certain topics for teaching in this way, cannot be useful.

The results of this research indicate the need for educational institutions and universities to pay more attention to student-centered educational methods such as peer learning, because the use of these methods can complement the teacher's teaching by providing a positive experience and lasting and deep learning.