Assessing leadership development needs in undergraduate dental students: validation application of the LENA Tool, at a private dental college in Peshawar, Pakistan

Date of Award

11-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Professions Education

First Advisor

Dr Rahila Ali

Second Advisor

Dr Shazia Bahar

Third Advisor

Professor John Sandars

Department

Educational Development

Abstract

Introduction:  Leadership is a core competency expected of medical and dental graduates by Pakistan medical and Dental Council. it is an essential skill that is required to meet the needs of the twenty-first century. ln the rapidly evolving landscape of dentistry, dental professionals are not only required to excel in clinical skills but also in leadership skills. However, in Pakistan, most institutes lack a leadership curriculum needed to enhance and develop leadership skills of the undergraduate students. Therefore, the objective of this study was to conduct needs assessment of leadership skills in undergraduate dental students at a private dental institute in Peshawar, Pakistan. This would help in introducing the culture of formal leadership training in the field.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 200 undergraduate dental students across 4 Years of the BDS program at Rehman College of Dentistry, Peshawar, Pakistan, using a census sampling method. Leadership Education Needs Assessment (LENA) questionnaire was subjected to content validation and a pilot study was conducted on 20 students. To conduct the needs assessment and assess the leadership skills of the students, data was gathered utilizing the modified LENA questionnaire that was shared with the students as an online link of Microsoft forms.
Results: Using SPSS software, data was analyzed. Mean age of the participants was 21 years. The results showed that students had moderate level of self-efficacy. Kruskal-Wallis test showed no statistically significant differences (p-value > 0.05) in the leadership XIV self-efficacy and focus required on leadership skills of the students across the four academic years.
Conclusion: This study provided holistic understanding of the leadership needs of undergraduate dental students. The students demonstrated moderate level of leadership self-efficacy scores. Despite that, they still showed interest and wished to focus on leadership education through multi-day leadership activities. Leadership development areas  included personal and professional development and career counselling.

First Page

1

Last Page

63

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