A cross-sectional study of students' perception of educational environment and its determinants using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure scale

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Educational environment is important for students' learning. Continuous quality improvement and innovation are very essential in a medical college. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a reliable and validated instrument that identifies specific problem areas within an institution for different components of the same student body. Problems can be taken care of, if we identify them. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to assess perceptions of the educational environment of students and (2) to identify gender-, age-, and semester-wise differences in the perceptions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: Institution-based cross-sectional study. Study place: Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Medical College and Hospital, Sangli. Study duration: 6 months. Study subjects: Medical students of all semesters. Exclusion criteria: attendance STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mean score, Standard Deviation (SD), and Z-test. RESULTS: There were total 440 students (203 boys and 237 girls) of total four semesters. Age ranged from 17 years to 28 years (mean 20.34 ± SD 1.59). Majority of the students were from the fourth semester (147). The mean DREEM score was 118.13 ± SD 21.43, which indicates that educational environment is “more positive than negative.” A significant association was found between students' academic self-perceptions (SASP) and students' perception of atmosphere (SPA) score and semester. CONCLUSION: Students' perception of overall educational environment was as of more positive. Subscale scores and item analysis show the areas of weaknesses such as authoritarian teachers and teachers get angry in class which needs improvement. The global score was independent of age, sex, and semester. The score of SASP and SPA was significantly high in second-semester students.