Integrating Student Feedback to Improve Learning Outcomes: An Action Research Study in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Abstract

Background: Student feedback now stands as one of the most important pillars of learner-centered education, shaping how teaching is designed and how students learn. However, structured mechanisms for obtaining student feedback largely remain underutilized in dental curricula.

Objective: The objective was to examine the effect of feedback-informed action research cycles on teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Methods: Two final-year BDS cohorts at Isra Dental College participated in a two-cycle action research study (2021 control vs. 2022 intervention). A purposive sample of forty students was taken from each cohort. Traditional lectures were given to the 2021 cohort, whereas feedback-informed lectures were given to the 2022 cohort. Independent sample t tests were used to assess quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative input. The Ethical Review Committee granted ethical approval.

Results: The feedback-informed cohort scored significantly higher in final examinations than the traditional cohort: mean 62.1% (SD 5.1) versus mean 54.2% (SD 4.8), respectively (p = 0.002). On a Likert scale, 85% of students rated clarity of lectures as “high” compared with 45% in the control cycle, 78% valued the interactive activities, and 90% felt that their suggestions were used. Qualitative themes included improved clarity, engagement, and responsiveness. Instructors indicated that their teaching practice is becoming more reflective and dialogical.

Conclusion: It also led to improved lecture effectiveness and better student performance through the integration of students' feedback using the action research framework. This cost-effective model can be replicated for similar low-resource settings to promote learner-centered education.