Beyond words: facets of non-verbal communication used in undergraduate medical and dental education classroom

Abstract

Objective: To measure and evaluate the different facets of non-verbal communication among educators in undergraduate medical and dental classrooms. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from April 2023 to February 2023 at Shifa College of Dentistry and Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad-Pakistan. A stratified random sample of 242 students from Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programs was targeted, with 229 respondents (response rate 94.6%). Data were collected using a structured, pre-validated questionnaire comprising five subscales-proxemics, kinesics, oculesics, chronemics, and vocalics-rated on a 5- point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v26.0). Results: Of 229 students, 150 (34.5%) were MBBS and 79 (35.5%) were BDS students; 149 (65%) were male and 80 (35%) were female students. Chronemics received the highest rating (median=4.67), followed by vocalics (median=4.33), while proxemics and oculesics were rated lower (median=4.00). Younger students, female students and MBBS participants showed a greater preference for kinesics. Gender comparisons indicated that female students rated both kinesics and oculesics higher than their male counterparts, albeit with small effect sizes, and significant variation in kinesics was noted among different academic years (p=0.049). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the significant impact of non-verbal communication in medical and dental education classrooms. Chronemics, vocalics and kinesics emerged as the preferred facet. Younger students, female students and MBBS students showed a greater preference for kinesics. These findings emphasize the need for educators to tailor their non-verbal communication to meet the diverse needs of students in dynamic learning environments.