The effects of satisfaction with major, and dental hygiene professionalism on career preparation behavior of dental hygiene students

Objectives: This study was attempted in order to understand about the satisfaction with major and the dental hygiene professionalism in dental hygiene students and to grasp the factors affecting the career preparation behavior. Methods: The research subjects included 264 juniors and seniors who are attending dental hygiene department across Korea (three locations in Gyeonggi province, one locations in Daejeon, four locations in Jeolla province, and one locations in Daegu). Data were collected using the online questionnaire between March 6 to April 7, 2023. The chosen data analysis method included descriptive statistical analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple linear regression. Results: The following average scores were obtained from those surveyed: 3.25 points concerning career preparation behavior, 3.83 points concerning the respondent’s satisfaction with their major, and 3.45 points concerning dental hygiene professionalism. As for a difference in career preparation behavior according to general characteristics, a meaningful difference was shown in terms of gender, motivation for entering the field, and first desired employment. Aspects of career preparation behavior, satisfaction with one’s major, and dental hygiene professionalism showed a significant correlation and were confirmed to explain the prediction of 29.1% of the variation in the regression model. Conclusions: For the sake of having an integrated understanding about career preparation behavior among dental hygiene students, there is a need to conduct repeated research on diverse variables and to inquire into a causal relationships between such variables.