Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure Inventory Research Articles

Comparative analysis of education environment perception of 1st and 2nd year MBBS students of medical college using Dundee ready education environment measure

Background: The Dundee ready education environment measure (DREEM) inventory is a useful tool to identify the student’s perception of the educational environment at the medical colleges. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the perception of educational environment of 1st and 2nd year undergraduate medical students of SBH Government Medical College Dhule, using DREEM inventory. Materials and Methods: Eighty-six students of 1st year and 92 students of 2nd year MBBS participated in this study. DREEM questionnaire was given to the students in a classroom after the scheduled routine teaching sessions by the teachers. Students were instructed to indicate best response for each item given in DREEM questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel. Results: The mean score of 1st year student for each domain was comparatively higher than the score of 2nd year students. Items that have a mean score of 3.5 or over were considered to be real positive points. Items with a mean between 2 and 3 were aspects of the great concern that could be improve. Items with a mean of 2 or less indicate problem areas. The overall DREEM score was 141.96 (70.87%). However, there were no significant differences in the overall DREEM score of 1st and 2nd year students. The overall DREEM score of 1st and 2nd year students was 141.96 (70.87%). However, there were no significant differences in the overall DREEM score of 1st and 2nd year students. Conclusions: DREEM is a useful tool to assess the educational environment and to give a clear indication of the education environment perception of medical students. The DREEM questionnaire reflects the realistic situation in medical colleges and can be utilized in a variety of situations to obtain baseline information.

Tunisian DREEM: Nursing Students’ Perception of the Learning Environment

Objectives: The evaluation of the learning environment has become critical to professional development and student success. This study aims to evaluate the viewpoints of nursing sciences students on the learning environment using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) at a Higher Institute of Nursing Sciences in Tunisia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 200 students at the Higher Institute of Nursing Sciences. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure was used as a worldwide tool. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey-Kramer multiple comparisons test were used for data analysis. Results: The total mean score on the 50-item DREEM inventory was 111.9 out of a maximum of 200. Students’ perceptions of learning, their teachers, their academic self, and of the atmosphere were more positive than negative. Student social self-perception was negatively evaluated. Students were not satisfied with the support system in the institute. The DREEM score was significantly higher for the students in the first year of study (P < 0.001). The four items with low mean scores (less than two) on the DREEM questionnaire were identified in the domain of learning. Conclusion: This is the first study in Tunisia assessing the nursing learning environment; it showed a positive assessment. Therefore, improvements are required, especially in the learning and social domains of the educational environment.

Gender Comparison of Students’ Perception of Educational Environment using DREEM Inventory, College of Dentistry, Jazan University

Background: The Educational Environment (EE) has an extremely important role in effective student learning. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated and widely tool to assess the EE in health and particularly in dental professional education programs. Objective: This study aimed to compare male and female dental students' perception regarding DREEM inventory of EE in Jazan University. A cross-sectional questionnaire included questions on demographic information and the DREEM of EEs. Methods: DREEM was used to gather information from our BDS students’ program about the environment in our institution. The data were selected from 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th year students. Data from 330 participants were distributed manually. Other factors such as type of graduated school, level of education, student’s GPA, and monthly income of family were assessed. All the data were analyzed. Results: 286 (86%) of the students completed and returned the DREEM questionnaires. There was no statistically significant difference between genders with respect to mean scores of perceptions of learning. Also, there was a significant difference in terms of educational level, but no significant differences were observed in the DREEM subscales. The average overall DREEM score of the study subjects indicated a positive learning perception of 130.8 for males and 130.2 for females. The subscale for both genders involved students’ perception of learning as 32.1, the students’ perception of teaching as 29.1, while the students’ academic self-perception was 21.7. The students’ self-perception of atmosphere was 30.0 while students’ social self-perception accounted for 17.5. Conclusion: Both gender students recorded positive values of the learning environment. Further, a qualitative investigation is recommended to be done on every single course to evaluate the changes and make necessary alterations.

Perception of nursing students about their educational environment in College of Nursing at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia

Background: One of the learning theories, i.e. the experiential learning theory, clearly states learning occurs when the learner interacts with the environment. This implies that the educational environment plays an essential role in the process of learning. Nursing students are frequently exposed to different kinds of educational environment which include clinical settings. Not only the educational environment but also the clinical learning environment can have profound influence on the students' learning perceptions. It will help the students to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which will later influence their academic achievement, personal and professional growth.Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of their learning environment using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory.Results: The response rate was 99.1%. The average DREEM score was 129.70 ± 22.93 (which shows more positive environment than negative). The total mean scores for the five major domains, namely Student's Perceptions of Learning (SPL), Student Perceptions of Teachers (SPT), Students' Academic Self‐preparation (SAP), Students' Perception of Atmosphere (SPA), and Students' Self‐perception (SSP), in the respective order, were 34.61/48, 27.68/44, 21.48/32, 28.16/48, and 17.75/28. The sub-scale/domain with the highest mean score was the Students’ Perception of Learning corresponding to 72.11% of the maximum score. The lowest mean score was for the students’ Perceptions of the Atmosphere which corresponded to 58.66% of the maximum score. Variations were observed in responses to individual items while identifying specific strengths and weaknesses within the learning environment.Conclusion: Study using DREEM inventory revealed both the positive and the negative aspects of learning environment in our nursing school. Furthermore, the data obtained will guide us in deciding the priority and the problematic areas which might need certain strategies toward restructuring the educational environment.

Medical students' perception of the learning environment at King Saud University Medical College, Saudi Arabia, using DREEM Inventory.

BackgroundThe students’ perception of the learning environment is an important aspect for evaluation and improvement of the educational program. The College of Medicine at King Saud University (KSU) reformed its curriculum in 2009 from a traditional to a system-oriented hybrid curriculum.ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to determine the perception of the second batch (reformed curriculum) of medical graduates about the educational environment at the College of Medicine, KSU, using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) scale.MethodsThe fifth year medical students were asked to evaluate the educational program after graduation in May 2014. The questionnaire was distributed to the graduate students electronically. The DREEM questionnaire consisted of 50 items based on Likert’s scale; and five domains, namely, students’ perceptions of learning, perceptions of teachers, academic self-perceptions, perceptions of atmosphere, and social self-perceptions. Data were analyzed using SPSS.ResultsA total of 62 students participated in the study. The score for students’ perception of learning among medical students ranged from 2.93 to 3.64 (overall mean score: 40.17). The score for students’ perception of teachers ranged from 2.85 to 4.01 (overall mean score: 33.35). The score for students’ academic self-perceptions ranged from 3.15 to 4.06 (overall mean score: 28.4). The score for students’ perception of atmosphere ranged from 2.27 to 3.91 (overall mean score: 41.32). The score for students’ social self-perceptions ranged from 2.85 to 4.33 (overall mean score: 24.33). The general perceptions of the students in all five sub-scales were positive.ConclusionThe overall student’s perception about the educational environment was satisfactory. This study was important to evaluate the students’ perception of the learning environment among medical graduates of the reformed curriculum and provided guidance on areas of improvement in the curriculum.

Paramedicine students’ views on clinical placement learning using the DREEM inventory

Introduction : Popularity of paramedicine undergraduate programs continues to rise in Australia and New Zealand. While this is important in the professionalisation of paramedicine, it has also raised a number of issues, particularly those surrounding the issue of national clinical placement standards and consistency between university providers. Therefore the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate paramedicine student perceptions of the learning environment during their university studies. Methods : The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated questionnaire that measures students’ perceptions of the educational environment. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 682 undergraduate paramedicine students enrolled at five universities in Australia and New Zealand. Results : This study has investigated the education environment as perceived by paramedicine students and found that generally, students were satisfied with the education environment at their institution. There were 630 student participants from Australia and 52 from New Zealand. Conclusions: The DREEM questionnaire has highlighted significant differences between universities, which is not surprising considering the various ways that universities structure their paramedicine programs. These findings can be used to inform universities and ambulance services about these differences and to guide strategic planning to ensure that there is a more consistent approach to paramedicine education in Australia and New Zealand.

Evaluating the Educational Environment of a Nursing School by Using the DREEM Inventory.

Background:Educational Environment (EE) is considered as a key component of educational curriculum.Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the EE of Nursing and Midwifery School of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) by using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM).Methods:This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2013. Totally, 500 nursing or midwifery students were recruited to the study by using the quota sampling method. Study data were collected by using a demographic questionnaire and the Persian version of DREEM questionnaire. The reliability of questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach alpha which was 0.876 and 0.68–0.866 for the whole questionnaire and its domains, respectively. The data were analyzed by using SPSS v. 21.0.Results:Totally, 350 completely-filled questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Most of the participants were nursing students (79.7%), female (74.6%), single (86.0%), bachelor (86.9%), first-year (36.9%), with mean age of 22.5 years. The mean item score of the DREEM was 2.09±0.49 (104.39 from 200). Moreover, the mean item scores of the domains were as follows, perception of learning: 1.93±0.61; perception of teachers: 2.42±0.56; perception of educational atmosphere: 2.05±0.59; academic-self-perception: 2.06±0.65; and social-self-perception: 2.17±0.62. All domains were statistically significant except the perception of learning and educational atmosphere (p<0.001)Conclusion:Although the educational environment of the study setting was found to be positive, it requires improvements. Strategies such as adopting student-centered approaches, revising the educational curriculum, strengthening student-teacher relationship, being sensitive and responsive to students’ educational needs, providing constructive feedback to them, and creating a comfortable, friendly, and supportive atmosphere can improve the educational environment.

The Malaysia DREEM: perceptions of medical students about the learning environment in a medical school in Malaysia.

BackgroundStudents’ perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and weaknesses, are important for continuous improvement of the educational environments and curriculum. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of their learning environment, among medical students in Malaysia. Various aspects of the education environment were compared between year levels and sex.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at the Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia in 2012. A total number of 438 medical students participated in this study, and the response rate was 87.6%. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Comparisons of the mean scores of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) subscales were calculated. The t-test was used to determine statistically significant differences.ResultsThe majority of the study participants were female, Malay, and from year 3 (68.7%, 65.3%, and 55.7%; respectively). Analysis of each of the 50 items of the DREEM inventory showed that 47 items scored ranged between 2.00 and 3.00, and three items scored below 2.00. These were identified as problem areas in this medical school that are required to be critically addressed. The overall score showed that the medical students’ perceptions were positive. The students’ perception toward educational environment was positive for all five DREEM subscales.ConclusionThe study found that, in general, the perceptions of the participants about the learning environment were positive. Nevertheless, the study also found there is a need for curriculum improvement in this school and identified priority areas for such improvement.

Nigerian Physiotherapy Clinical Students’ Perception of their Learning Environment Measured by the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure Inventory

The identification of the learning environment and the understanding of how students learn will help teacher to facilitate learning and plan a curriculum to achieve the learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate physiotherapy clinical students’ perception of University of Ibadan’s learning environment. Using the quantitative research approach, a cross-sectional survey design was used in this study with data collected through the completion of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire by 54 consenting undergraduate physiotherapy clinical students in the University of Ibadan who have had clinical education for at least one semester. The mean 131/200 indicated that the physiotherapy clinical students’ perceptions of their learning environment were “more positive than negative ” . Use of score descriptors for the subscale scores for the DREEM indicated that students' perception of learning was positive , and their perceptions of the teachers were that they were “ moving in the right direction” . Their academic self-perception was positive , as was their perception of the atmosphere. The students' social self-perception was “ not too bad” . Only six out of the 50 items were reported to have mean scores of less than 2.00, this implies that the items should be examined more closely, as they indicate problem areas. This study has provided useful information on student perceptions of their learning environment by using the DREEM inventory. The overall DREEM mean score indicating that the perceptions of the clinical physiotherapy students of their learning environment were “more positive than negative”.

Evaluating Student's Perceptions of the Learning Environment in an Indian Dental School.

To evaluate student's perception of the learning environment in a private dental institute in India based on DREEM inventory. This cross-sectional study included students in all four years of the undergraduate dental course of Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Hyderabad, India. Self-administered Dundee Ready Education environment Measure (DREEM) inventory consisting of 50-items on a five-point Likert scale was utilized to assess the students' perceptions regarding learning environment in this academic dental school. Comparison for the total and domain DREEM score means was carried out via independent t-test for dichotomous variables (gender) and ANOVA for more than two variables (year of study). Significant difference was noted for p < 0.05. The response rate for this study was 86.8%. Mean age of the study participants was 19.61 + 1.50 y. The overall DREEM score for this population was 125.24 + 21.10 reflecting a more of positive than negative education environment in this institution. When individual domain scores were accounted, except for the domain SAS, females had a higher mean scores for all domains which was however statistically significant only for the domains SPL (p = 0.03) and SPT (p = 0.01). Likewise, significant differences were also noted for SPL and SPT based on the year of study, wherein for both the domains, third year students had significantly higher mean scores and least was recorded for fourth year students. Correlation of the various domains demonstrated significant positive correlation among the domains. Overall this sample of dental students rated the learning environment in this dental institute as positive.

Reassessment of the undergraduate educational environment in College of Medicine, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawwarah, Saudi Arabia

Background: We reassessed the perception of all undergraduate students in Taibah medical college regarding the educational environment during the academic year 2010–2011 and compared it with the assessment carried out three years earlier in order to identify the change over time from previous assessment.Method: In the present prospective study, the validated 50-item Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory was collected from medical students of basic phase (n = 302) and clinical phase (n = 222) and compared the scores of students’ responses with those of previous assessment 3years earlier.Results: In the year 2007/2008 DREEM inventory scored 109.1/200 and scored 120.70/200 (p ≤ 0.0001) in the year 2010/2011. There was an interesting inclination of female students towards a more positively perceived learning environment as compared to male students (26/48 versus 24/48, p < 0.03). There were statistically significant differences in all domain components of DREEM between the academic years 2007/2008 and 2010/2011.Conclusions: DREEM helped pinpoint areas of change in students’ perception regarding many aspects of the educational environment. It also helped to identify areas that are still in need of improvement by the college's administration and staff. DREEM inventory can be used to monitor change over time in the educational environment.

A psychometric appraisal of the DREEM

BackgroundThe quality of the Educational environment is a key determinant of a student centred curriculum. Evaluation of the educational environment is an important component of programme appraisal. In order to conduct such evaluation use of a comprehensive, valid and reliable instrument is essential. One of most widely used contemporary tools for evaluation of the learning environment is the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Apart from the initial psychometric evaluation of the DREEM, few published studies report its psychometric properties in detail. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric quality of the DREEM measure in the context of medical education in Ireland and to explore the construct validity of the device.Methods239 final year medical students were asked to complete the DREEM inventory. Anonymised responses were entered into a database. Data analysis was performed using PASW 18 and confirmatory factor analysis performed.ResultsWhilst the total DREEM score had an acceptable level of internal consistency (alpha 0.89), subscale analysis shows that two subscales had sub-optimal internal consistency. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis (using Fleming's indices) shows an overall fit of 0.76, representing a weak but acceptable level of fit. 17 of the 50 items manifest fit indices less than 0.70. We sought the best fitting oblique solution to the 5-subscale structure, which showed large correlations, suggesting that the independence of the separate scales is open to question.ConclusionsThere has perhaps been an inadequate focus on establishing and maintaining the psychometric credentials of the DREEM. The present study highlights two concerns. Firstly, the internal consistency of the 5 scales is quite variable and, in our sample, appears rather low. Secondly, the construct validity is not well supported. We suggest that users of the DREEM will provide basic psychometric appraisal of the device in future published reports.

Perceptions of Educational Climate in a Canadian Medical Radiation Science Programme

Background The medical radiation science (MEDRADSC) collaborative program at Mohawk-McMaster (MoMac) Institute for Applied Health Sciences in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, has used 360° feedback about the program since its inception in 2004, which is still ongoing. Aim To measure students’ perception of the educational environment in MEDRADSC using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), and investigate perception of the educational environment overall, by specialization, and by gender. Method The DREEM instrument was distributed electronically in June 2009 to 105 third-year students from three medical radiation specializations: ultrasound, therapy, and radiography. Results With an 83% response rate, students rated their educational climate overall as positive. No significant difference was found between gender or specialization at MoMac. Conclusion The DREEM inventory can be used effectively within the medical radiation sciences to measure students' perceptions of educational environment and verify very specific issues relating to each of the five subscales.

Students’ perception of the educational environment in a Medical Faculty with an innovative curriculum in Sri Lanka

The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is the culmination of the SEARAME's vision to bring together medical educationists in the region to promote collaborative efforts toward uplifting the standards of medical education in the region and beyond through dissemination of knowledge. This journal will be the ideal platform to disseminate research findings and stimulate discussion among experts in the field. Open access policy of the journal will facilitate this ideal.From November 2019, The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is indexed in EuroPub

Climate studies: can students’ perceptions of the ideal educational environment be of use for institutional planning and resource utilization?

As educational climate strongly affects student achievement, satisfaction and success, it is important to get regular feedback from students on how they experience the educational environment. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) Inventory was administered on the same day to all first-, second- and third-year students at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) and the students were requested to complete the questionnaire as they were actually experiencing the educational environment at CMCC, and then to say what they would have wanted, or preferred it to be like. Valid returns were received from 146 (95%) first-, 123 (82%) second- and 73 (48%) third-year students (n = 342). The results indicated that the DREEM Inventory used in the Ideal mode, together with the responses in the Actual mode, could be used effectively to determine the dissonance between what they had and what they would have liked to have. It was found that there was a strong similarity in the areas of the educational environment that the different groups of students indicated as falling short of their ideal. The results of this study provided a useful basis for strategic planning and resource utilization.

Identifying the perceived weaknesses of a new curriculum by means of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) Inventory

The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College is in the fourth year of implementing a new four-year Integrative Curriculum. In order to determine how the students experienced the educational environment generated by the new curriculum, the Dundee Ready Education Environment (DREEM) Inventory was administered on the same day to 148 (96%) first-year, 131 (87%) second-year, and 128 (84%) third-year students (n = 407). Resultant scores indicated many areas of concern. However, bimodal and large numbers of ‘uncertain’ responses also occurred. In order to establish and compare areas of most concern between the three year groups, responses were calculated as percentages indicating for each item those who agree, disagree or are uncertain. This result clearly indicated areas of joint concern for each of the five domains addressed by the DREEM Inventory. Analysis of these concerns formed the basis of strategic planning in order to institute remedial action, and on which to focus institutional resources.