Satisfaction with Department Selection and Changes in a Sense of Employment Among Some Students Majoring in Dental Hygiene

일부 치위생과 재학생의 학과선택 만족도 및 취업의식변화

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze motivation of entrance into the college, knowledge prior to the entrance, satisfaction with their major, and a sense of employment after graduation among students majoring in dental hygiene at some colleges and subdivide them by grades for comparative analysis to determine the progress of changes in general characteristics, department satisfaction, and a sense of employment among students majoring in dental hygiene for the recent three years and provide basic data for improving dental hygienic education. Questionnaires were distributed to 520 students majoring in dental hygiene at some college in South Chungcheong, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla Provinces, followed by explanation of the purport of the research and the content of the questionnaire; after completion, 513 copies were used for analysis with exception of 7 copies with insincere responses. The analysis of the data examined resulted in the following conclusions: First, Changes in Department Satisfaction among Students Majoring in Dental Hygiene As for motivation of entrance into a college, less and less students chose the department of dental hygiene through recommendation by parents or seniors while more and more students chose their major due to easy employment. Less and less students obtained information on the department from a college application guidebook while more and more students obtained it through Internet. There was also a gradual increase in prior knowledge about the department and in satisfaction with their major. More and more students had no will to change their course. Second, Changes in a Sense of Employment among Students Majoring in Dental Hygiene There was a gradual decrease in the number of students who would follow friends' or their own decision in selecting workplace but an increase in the number of those who would follow their professors' opinion. There was a gradual increase in the number of students who wanted to be employed in workplace with good social perception; many students wanted to be employed in a personal dental clinic, a general hospital, or a public health center; and more and more students also wanted to be employed in a school dental health center or to become a government official or an educator.