Students' perception of the learning environment and its relation to their study year and performance in Sudan.

Yasar Ahmed,Abdelrahim M Gaffar,Salma Al-Neel,Mohamed H Taha

doi:10.5116/ijme.5af0.1fee

Abstract

ObjectivesTo evaluate students’ perceptions of the learning environment and to assess any differences in perception related to students’ performance and their year of study. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was performed of 638 students from the second, sixth and tenth semesters at the Faculty of Medicine at Gezira University, Sudan. This study employed the Arabic-translated Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure. The main predictor variables were the study year and academic performance. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons test were used for data analysis. ResultsThe overall score for this study was 122/200 (SD=16.6), indicating a positive perception of the learning environment. The overall mean score was 109.94/200 (SD=21.2) for Semester 2 students, 122.9/200 (SD=20.29) for Semester 6 students, and 116.53 (SD=20.12) for Semester 10 students, reflecting a significant difference in students’ perceptions in different years of study (F (2,2422) = 3.21, p=0.04). There was also a significant difference between the mean overall scores with respect to academic performance. High-achieving students’ mean DREEM score was 126 (SD=24.4); while low-achieving students’ mean DREEM score was 102 (SD=26.25) (F(2,2453) = 3.53, p=0.029). ConclusionsHigh achievers’ perceptions of the learning environment are significantly better than those of low achievers. A significant difference was observed between students in different years of study. The differences in students’ academic performance should be further investigated, targeting specific domains. A large-scale study is required to differentiate between the weakness and the strength of each academic level.

Highlights

The learning environment has been defined as everything that happens in the educational institute.[1]
The students’ perception of their learning environment, in the study, varied according to their academic level
A study carried out in a problembased learning (PBL) medical school found that students lost some of the neutrality they exhibited in the first year and became more critical of the learning environment as they progressed through the programme.[25]

Summary

Introduction

The learning environment has been defined as everything that happens in the educational institute.[1]. The learning environment has a strong impact on students’ learning experiences and outcomes; it dictates what, how and why students learn.[3] it affects students’ level of enthusiasm and degree of learning effectiveness. The relationship between educational environment and students’ achievement has been a fertile area of investigation, and the literature provides a proven connection between educational environment and the valuable outcomes of students’ achievement, satisfaction and success.[4] evidence from previous studies shows that students who perceive the educational climate favourably achieve higher academic success than those who perceive it negatively.[5,6]

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Discussion

Conclusion