The second-year slump – now you see it, now you don’t: using DREEM-S to monitor changes in student perception of their educational environment

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that the ‘sophomore slump’ (dissatisfaction and disengagement of second year students in the US) may also be observed in other countries, including the UK. However, no studies have reported on the effects of support interventions on student perceptions. This study used the DREEM-S survey, a modification of the validated Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure, to monitor changes in student perceptions of their educational environment over a three-year period for 690 students in a large UK faculty. While the initial survey detected decreased satisfaction in all areas of their educational environment amongst second-year students, the follow-up study, after the introduction of additional support resources, no longer showed this decrease. Other changes in student perception, notably increased stress and tiredness reported by first-year students, were also observed during this time period. Other areas of concern, particularly the factual content of programmes and the ability of students to memorise all that they need, were identified as issues to be addressed. While this study may indicate the effectiveness of introducing on-line support resources to help students adapt to the increased requirements of second-year study, further studies are needed to determine whether the ‘second-year slump’ is as persistent a feature of UK higher education as it is in the US. This study highlights the value of educational environment surveys in identifying areas of educational practice that would benefit from closer attention, as well as the changes in student perceptions across and between years.