Stakeholders' Attitudes Toward the Implementation of a Pass/Fail Assessment System in the Undergraduate Dental Curriculum

INTRODUCTION: Stakeholders' attitudes are pivotal in shaping and sustaining educational reform, particularly when proposed changes align with stakeholders' beliefs and perceptions. This study assessed stakeholders' attitudes toward implementing a pass/fail grading system in the undergraduate dental curriculum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed using an online questionnaire. Participants were two groups of direct stakeholders: current undergraduate dental students and faculty members. Confirmatory factor analysis and coefficient H were calculated from the responses, and the results indicated the instrument's validity and reliability. RESULTS: Overall attitudes toward pass/fail assessment were positive among both students and faculty across all tested domains, including professional competencies and learning outcomes, stress and psychological well-being and system adoption. The strongest endorsement was observed for perceived benefits related to stress reduction and psychological well-being. Students had significantly higher attitude scores than faculty members across all domains. Background knowledge showed weak positive correlations with attitudes across all domains, whereas the attitude domains were strongly and positively correlated with one another. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate overall favourable attitudes toward pass/fail assessment among direct stakeholders within undergraduate dental education. However, turning positive attitudes into curriculum reform requires careful planning to address implementation, faculty and student readiness and system use, ensuring effective adoption in the local context.