We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Cross-cultural adaptability of dental hygiene students and faculty.
- Authors
Holder-Ballard CB
- Abstract
Purpose. Health care educational programs are being urged to produce culturally competent health care providers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse U.S. population. The purpose of this study was to first compare the cross-cultural adaptability of first- and second-year dental hygiene students to their faculty; and, secondly, to evaluate the influence of five demographic variables (age, race, marital/family status, place of residence, and growing up in an ethnically diverse community) on cross-cultural adaptability. Methods and Materials. The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) measures emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity, and personal autonomy. A demographic survey and the CCAI was administered to dental hygiene students (N=62) and their faculty (N=16) at a baccalaureate-degree program located in the southeast United States. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Chicago, IL). Both the CCAI composite score and the four individual research dimension scores were used as dependent variables. Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the CCAI composite scores between dental hygiene students (juniors or seniors) and faculty. However, an analysis of the four research dimension scores found that the groups (junior dental hygiene students, senior dental hygiene students, and faculty) differed in two areas. For 'flexibility and openness,' junior students scored 64.94, seniors scored 65.93, and faculty scored 70.75. Faculty scored significantly higher than dental hygiene juniors in this area, P = .036. A significant difference was also found in the area of 'personal autonomy' (juniors: 35.36, seniors: 32.76, and faculty: 34.06). Dental hygiene juniors scored significantly higher than senior dental hygiene students, P = .015. Analysis of the demographic factors found a significant difference in the CCAI composite scores of marital/family status (P < .002). Individuals partnered without children (M = 245) scored higher in this sample than those single without children (M = 231) and those partnered with children (M = 218). Conclusion. In this sample, differences were found in the CCAI scores between students and faculty; and marital/family status appeared to be the most significant demographic factor.
- Publication
Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2006, Vol 80, Issue 1, p20
- ISSN
1043-254X
- Publication type
Academic Journal