General Medicine · Medical Literature
Feedback Literacy Development in Dental Hygiene Education.
Abstract
Purpose Feedback literacy is a pivotal concept in education. Students with well-developed feedback literacy are able to understand, interpret, and implement feedback effectively to improve learning and performance. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a feedback literacy course for dental hygiene students.Methods This study utilized a quantitative randomized control trial comprising a convenience sample of 42 dental hygiene students over two consecutive semesters. The control group received no formal feedback education, while the experimental group completed a feedback literacy module with an in-person feedback workshop, a follow-up in-person reflection activity, and online feedback literacy resources. Feedback Literacy was measured using the Feedback Literacy Scale, where participants self-rated their abilities on a Likert scale. A pre/posttest design was used, paired with supplemental open-ended questions for the experimental group to determine perceived program impact. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.Results Overall Feedback Literacy posttest mean scores of the experimental group (n = 21) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) when compared to controls (n = 21). The experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in Appreciation of Feedback (p < .001), Positive Attitude toward Feedback (p = .001), and Openness to Feedback (p < .001). Four key concepts emerged from open-ended questions posed to experimental group, namely: valuing feedback, seeking feedback, managing emotions, and enhancing self-assessment.Conclusion Students may benefit from feedback literacy training delivered early in their education. The feedback literacy module helped students value feedback, use self-assessment to identify learning gaps, actively seek feedback, and regulate emotions during feedback.
Clinical relevance
Does a structured feedback literacy educational intervention — comprising a didactic module, in-person workshop, reflection activity, and online resources — improve self-rated feedback literacy in dental hygiene students compared with no formal feedback education? __SNAPSHOT__ {"studyDesign":"Randomized controlled trial (quantitative; pre/posttest design with convenience sample), supplemented by open-ended qualitative questions for the experimental group","setting":"Dental hygiene education program; country and institution not reported. Study conducted across two consecutive academic semesters.","sampleSize":"n = 42 total (experimental group: n = 21; control group: n = 21)","population":"Dental hygiene students enrolled over two consecutive semesters; specific inclusion/exclusion criteria not reported in the abstract","intervention":"Multi-component feedback literacy program: a feedback literacy online module, an in-person feedback workshop, a follow-up in-person reflection activity, and access to online feedback literacy resources","comparator":"Control group: no formal feedback education provided during the study period","primaryOutcome":"Overall Feedback Literacy Scale score (self-rated Likert scale) at posttest","followUp":"Two consecutive semesters; precise duration in weeks or months not reported","fundingSource":"Not reported"}
Key findings
The overall Feedback Literacy Scale posttest mean scores in the experimental group (n = 21) were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group at posttest (p < 0.001). Specific posttest mean scores, standard deviations, confidence intervals, effect sizes (e.g., Cohen's d), and pretest-to-posttest within-group change scores are not reported in the available abstract. NNT/NNH cannot be calculated from a Likert-based continuous self-report outcome. The abstract is truncated and may contain additional results not available for review. Adverse events were not applicable to this educational intervention study. No between-group absolute or relative differences in scale scores are reportable from the provided data.
Practice implications
This study provides preliminary evidence that a structured, multi-modal feedback literacy intervention can significantly improve self-assessed feedback literacy among dental hygiene students relative to a control condition receiving no feedback education. Importantly, the outcome is a self-rated psychometric scale (Feedback Literacy Scale), which reflects perceived competence rather than objectively measured feedback behavior, clinical skill improvement, or patient outcomes — a critical distinction for clinical educators. The findings apply specifically to dental hygiene students in a single-program convenience sample; generalizability to other health professions education settings, postgraduate trainees, or practicing clinicians is not established. The abstract is truncated, meaning the full results, subgroup analyses, and qualitative open-ended findings are not available for review — this is a significant limitation of the current summary. Caution is warranted in interpreting the p < 0.001 result given the small sample size (n = 21 per group), as statistical significance in small samples does not guarantee meaningful or durable real-world impact. This study does not provide sufficient evidence to mandate changes in clinical training curricula without replication in larger, more diverse cohorts. __LIMITATIONS__ Very small convenience sample (n = 42 total; n = 21 per group), substantially limiting statistical power, precision, and generalizability.,Outcome measure is entirely self-reported (Likert-scale self-rating), introducing social desirability bias and an inability to confirm actual behavioral change in feedback uptake.,No objective or performance-based outcome measures (e.g., observed feedback-seeking behavior, clinical skill scores, assessor ratings) were reported.,Convenience sampling limits external validity and introduces selection bias; the sample may not be representative of dental hygiene students more broadly.,The abstract is truncated, precluding full review of results, subgroup data, qualitative findings, or any adjusted analyses.,No long-term follow-up is reported; durability of the intervention effect beyond the immediate posttest is unknown.,Study conducted at an unspecified single institution over only two semesters, limiting generalizability across programs, curricula, and geographic contexts.,Blinding of participants was not feasible given the nature of the intervention; blinding of outcome assessors is not reported.,Funding source and potential conflicts of interest are not reported.,Descriptive statistics were the primary analytic method; the basis for the p < 0.001 finding (inferential test used) is not clearly reported in the available abstract. __BOTTOM_LINE_CATEGORY__ promising_but_preliminary __BOTTOM_LINE__ A structured, multi-component feedback literacy program produced statistically significant improvements in self-rated feedback literacy among dental hygiene students (p < 0.001) compared with no intervention, in a small RCT of 42 students. Results are promising for health professions educators seeking to formally scaffold feedback literacy skills, but the small convenience sample, self-report-only outcome, and truncated abstract limit confidence in the magnitude and durability of effect. Replication in larger, multi-institutional cohorts with objective behavioral outcomes is needed before broad curricular implementation is recommended.