Does Self-Efficacy Affect Clinical Reasoning in Dental Students?

INTRODUCTION: Individual ability, motivation, age, and gender are all specific learner-related factors that can affect the academic performance of undergraduate dental students. Clinical reasoning and self-efficacy may potentially play crucial roles in this. This research aims to study the effects of clinical reasoning and self-efficacy on academic performance and to determine the relationship between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional quantitative study that was conducted in 2021, and the study participants included 81 (86.19% response rate) final-year dental students who responded to an online questionnaire containing a specially designed clinical reasoning test and a self-efficacy scale. RESULTS: Although the levels of clinical reasoning skills and self-efficacy were not directly related, they were positively associated with students’ academic achievements. Furthermore, these 2 factors were considered to be predictors of a student's academic performance. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of self-efficacy and clinical reasoning skills were associated with high academic achievement in students. However, having high levels of self-efficacy does not necessarily indicate mastery of clinical reasoning skills. This conclusion reflects the complexity of the clinical reasoning process during which an individual is faced with uncertainty. High levels of confidence might make students rush to a conclusion without considering all the conflicting possibilities or alternatives. In all instances, dental educators should follow recommended measures to improve clinical reasoning and self-efficacy abilities due to their importance in improving learning in students.