Perceptions Of Learning Environment Research Articles

Online Case-Sharing to Enhance Dental Students' Clinical Education: A Pilot Study.

Dental students' clinical learning is dictated by patients' needs. Thus, not all students have identical educational experiences. Even routine treatment can require different approaches depending on concurrent dental problems, patients' health status, or unexpected complications. No curriculum can expose students to all treatment alternatives when issues arise. Consequently, mechanisms to facilitate students' learning from the collective experiences of their classmates can augment their clinical acumen. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate a blended learning experience consisting of a website on which third- and fourth-year students posted and discussed PowerPoint presentations depicting patient treatment and weekly seminars in which students and faculty discussed posted cases to retrospectively assess treatment decisions. All 49 students in two of the school's general practice groups (23 fourth-year and 26 third-year students) in academic year 2011-12 participated, using a PowerPoint template to create cases to share with their peers. The students completed the Clinical Education Instructional Quality Inventory (Clin-EdIQ) before and after the case-sharing experience. The results showed statistically significant pre- to posttest increases on the four ClinEdIQ dimensions: overall clinical learning experience, specific learning opportunities, interaction among students and instructors, and collaborative learning. These students also reported that the online case-sharing and follow-up seminars were a valuable educational experience. However, students not involved in case-sharing had similar pre to post ClinEdIQ score changes. The results suggest that online case-sharing supported by case analysis seminars facilitated exchange of clinical insight among students and instructors, but may not have altered students' perceptions of the clinical learning environment.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PERCEPTION OF CLINICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND LEARNING APPROACH ON CLERKSHIP STUDENTS OF MEDICAL FACULTY

Background: Learning environment is one parameter to evaluate the quality of learning. The learning approach reflects how a student learns in various situations that affect learning. This study aims to know the relationship between the perceptions of the learning environment and the learning approaches in the clerkship students of Medical Faculty.Methods: This research used an analytical observational method with cross-sectional technique. The sample selection technique used cluster sampling. Respondents consisted of 178 students from all clinical rotations. Each respondent was given two questionnaires to assess perceptions of the learning environment and learning approaches. Data were analyzed using contingency coefficient test.Results: Student perceptions of the learning environment show similar results between the number of clinical rotations that have the category of 'good but need improvement' (9 clinical rotations) and the 'many problems' category (9 clinical rotations). Most of the students (84.27%) used the in-depth learning approach, the remaining 10.67% used the strategic approach, and 5.06% used the surface approach. There was relationship between learning environment perception and learning approach with contingency coefficient value C = 0.312, and value p = 0,001 (p <0.05).Conclusion: There is a weak relationship between perception of clinical learning environments and learning approach on clerkship students of the medical faculty, University Sebelas Maret..

THE RELATION BETWEEN STUDENT’S PERCEPTION OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND LEARNING MOTIVATION OF PRE-CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENT

Background: Academic achievement is influenced by two factors, internal and external factor. Learning environment is one of the external factors that affect the academic achievement. A conducive learning environment can improve students learning motivation and affect academic achievement.The aim of this research is to find out the relation between student’s perception of learning environment and learning motivation of pre-clinical student in Medical Faculty of Lampung University.Methods: This research was using cross sectional approach. The sample of this research consisted 248 pre-clinical student in Medical Faculty of Lampung University which determined by proportional-random sampling. This research used two questionnaires: Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) and Motivated Strategies of Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Data were analysed using Spearman.Results: The result showed that most of pre-clinical student in Medical Faculty of Lampung University have perception about learning environment was decent (74,6%) and learning motivation was high (98,8%), there was significant relation between student’s perception of learning environment and learning motivation which determined by p value <0,05 and r 0,462.Conclusion: From this research can be concluded that the better student’s perceptions of learning environment, the higher learning motivation becomes.

CORRELATION BETWEEN PERCEPTION ON CLINICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND CAREER CHOICE ON CLERKSHIP STUDENTS IN FACULTY OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITAS SEBELAS MARET

Background: Needs of health workers, especially general practitioners, relatively high in Indonesia. Career choices among medical students are various, such as general practitioner, specialist, medical researcher, etc. Many factors affect medical students’ career choices, one of them is learning environments. This study aims to prove the correlation between clerkship students’ perceptions of clinical learning environments and their career choices.Methods: This research was an analytical observational research with cross sectional approach. The subjects were clerkship students who underwent clinical rotation. The samples were 178 clerkship students from all departments. They were chosen by probability proportional to size sampling. Every respondent was given career choices questionnaire and PHEEM questionnaire which has analyzed for its validity and reliability with α≥0,6 (α=0,826) and r≥0,30 (r=0,442). The result of this study was analyzed by Chi-square test and followed by Contingency Coefficient with 95% confidence level (α = 0,05). Result: The result showed that students’ perception of clinical learning environment “good but still need improvement” category was nearly the same as “plenty of problems” category. The result on the students’ career choices, most students choose clinical career. There was significant correlation between perception of clinical learning environment and career choices on clerkship students of medical faculty, Sebelas Maret University with p <0,05 (p= 0,018), x2 count (x2=5,625) > x2 table (x2=3,841) and also very weak correlation (C= 0,189).Conclusion: There was very weak correlation between perception of clinical learning environments and career choice on clerkship students.

Initial Development and Validation of the Perceptions of the Blended Learning Environment Questionnaire

Learning in blended environments has become a ubiquitous part of student experience in tertiary education worldwide. Although students’ perceptions of learning environments are a key element in the learning process, there is a dearth of valid instruments to assess students’ perceptions in blended contexts. This study described the initial development and validation of a Perceptions of the Blended Learning Environment Questionnaire (PBLEQ). The analyses, involving two cohorts of students enrolled in courses either from humanities/social sciences disciplines or from sciences/engineering disciplines, consistently supported the bifactor model over a correlated first-order model and a second-order model. The bifactor model had a single perceptions factor that underlined each of the items. Separately, there were three specific factors: the perceptions of integration between face-to-face and online learning, the perceptions of online contributions, and the perceptions of the online workload, each having its own separate set of items. The invariance tests among the two cohorts validated that the PBLEQ had invariant factor structure, factor loadings, and intercepts. The PBLEQ has potential to help unravel students’ perceptions of the blended learning environment in diverse academic disciplines.

Jordanian Nursing Student and Instructor Perceptions of the Clinical Learning Environment.

This study explores perceptions of Jordanian nursing students and clinical instructors related to clinical training and the learning environment. Interpretative phenomenological qualitative approach was used in this study. semi-structured focus group interviews in two Jordanian Universities Results: The study identified four themes focused on the experiences of these participants. Themes were attributes of clinical training placement, attributes of clinical instructors, attributes of clinical nursing curriculum and student's attributes. The first theme had two subthemes "Structure and nature of clinical placement" and "Nurses' collaboration". The study recommendations are: nursing schools should plan students' clinical experience taking into consideration the challenges associated with these attributes.

High School Students’ Conceptions of Science Laboratory Learning, Perceptions of the Science Laboratory Environment, and Academic Self-Efficacy in Science Learning

In the field of science education, laboratory learning environment has gained renewed interest in the recent decade. This study aimed to investigate the relationships among students’ conceptions of science laboratory learning, perceptions of the science laboratory learning environment, and their academic self-efficacy in science learning by adopting the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. A total of 513 senior high school students (262 females) in Taiwan were invited to participate in this survey study. Three instruments were adapted and implemented to investigate the aim of the study (i.e. the conceptions of science laboratory learning questionnaire, the science laboratory environment inventory, and the academic self-efficacy in science learning questionnaire). The results indicated that the students’ conceptions of science laboratory learning made a significant contribution to their perceptions of the science laboratory environment, which consequently fostered their science learning self-efficacy. More specifically, students with conceptions of science laboratory learning as reviewing their prior learning profiles tended to highlight the “student cohesiveness,” “integration,” and “material environment” aspects of the laboratory environment. Moreover, students who held personal ideas of science laboratory learning as acquiring manipulative skills tended to perceive actual science laboratory environments as much more open-ended and to attain advanced academic science learning self-efficacy. In addition, those students who viewed laboratory learning as achieving in-depth understanding, and who perceived that laboratory activities are guided by clear rules, were prone to express a stronger sense of academic self-efficacy. Based on the results, practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Modelling achievement in advanced computer science: the role of learner characteristics and perceived learning environment

ABSTRACTBackground and Context: Understanding the effects of learner characteristics and perceived learning environment on achievement in academic fields including Computer Science (CS) is of critical importance.Objective: This study aimed at testing a hypothesized model of achievement in CS in terms of the learner and the learning environment characteristics.Method: Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to a random sample of 315 eleventh and twelfth-grade advanced CS students (28% girls). Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was utilized to test the proposed structural model.Findings: The hypothesized structural model fits the data reasonably, yet five of the 17 assumed effects were not significant. A modified model with only significant effects fit the data well and accounted for 41% of the variance. Mathematics achievement, self-efficacy and classroom learning environment are the most influential variables on achievement in CS.Implications: The findings bear important implication for helping students by resolving obstacles that obstruct their learning and achievement.

Students' approaches to learning and perception of learning environment: A comparison between traditional and problem based learning medical curricula

Background: Teaching and learning are fundamentally different between conventional and problem based learning (PBL) curricula. There is a transformation in the College of Medicine, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia (CMTU) from the conventional to a PBL curriculum. Aim: To compare students’ approaches to learning and their perception of learning environment between conventional and PBL curricula at CMTU. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire on a convenience sample from the third year undergraduate male and female medical students enrolled in both PBL and conventional curricula during the academic year 2015- 2016. Students' approaches to learning and perception of learning environment were measured using the “Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST)” and the “Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM)” instruments, respectively. Results: A total of 101 questionnaires (49 (48.5%) and 52 (51.5%) from traditional and PBL curricula, respectively) were analyzed. When compared to conventional curriculum students, PBL curriculum students showed a significantly higher overall DREEM (136.98 ±21.45 vs. 111.59 ±27.93; p <0.001) as well as all its subscales. Significantly higher ratings for strategic approach towards learning (60.77 ±9.12 vs. 56.35 ±9.93; p=0.02) and net learning orientation (deep approach + strategic approach - surface apathetic approach; 85.60 ±17.32 vs. 77.76 ±20.63; p=0.04) were seen in PBL curriculum students. Conclusion: The transformation to a PBL curriculum at CMTU was accompanied by a tilt in the learning style towards a desired deep and strategic learning styles and a definite improvement in the perception of learning environment among students.

Students' approaches to learning and perception of learning environment: A comparison between traditional and problem based learning medical curricula

Background: Teaching and learning are fundamentally different between conventional and problem based learning (PBL) curricula. There is a transformation in the College of Medicine, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia (CMTU) from the conventional to a PBL curriculum. Aim: To compare students’ approaches to learning and their perception of learning environment between conventional and PBL curricula at CMTU. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire on a convenience sample from the third year undergraduate male and female medical students enrolled in both PBL and conventional curricula during the academic year 2015- 2016. Students' approaches to learning and perception of learning environment were measured using the “Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST)” and the “Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM)” instruments, respectively. Results: A total of 101 questionnaires (49 (48.5%) and 52 (51.5%) from traditional and PBL curricula, respectively) were analyzed. When compared to conventional curriculum students, PBL curriculum students showed a significantly higher overall DREEM (136.98 ±21.45 vs. 111.59 ±27.93; p <0.001) as well as all its subscales. Significantly higher ratings for strategic approach towards learning (60.77 ±9.12 vs. 56.35 ±9.93; p=0.02) and net learning orientation (deep approach + strategic approach - surface apathetic approach; 85.60 ±17.32 vs. 77.76 ±20.63; p=0.04) were seen in PBL curriculum students. Conclusion: The transformation to a PBL curriculum at CMTU was accompanied by a tilt in the learning style towards a desired deep and strategic learning styles and a definite improvement in the perception of learning environment among students.

Change in Student's perceptions of the learning environment after a period of exposure: A mixed method approach with quantitative and qualitative analysis.

To compare change in students'perceptions of learning environment at the time of their enrollment and after moving to the second semester. The mixed method quantitative-qualitative studywas conducted in two parts at the Pathology Department, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi,from Marchto October, 2018, and comprised undergraduate medical students. Data was collected using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurein phase one. In phase two, a focus group discussion was conducted on the same theme with a small group of students. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Of the 235 students in the first phase, 54(23%) were males and 181 (77%) were females. The overall score from all five sub-scales of the inventory was 128.22 out of a maximum 200. In the second phase, there were 10 participants; 3(30%) males and 7(70%) females. Students' perception of their learning environment altered from being positive in the first semester to being barely satisfactory by the end of semester 2.

Medical Students’ Perception of Learning Environment in New Campus of University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS): Measured by DREEM

Background: The ultimate goal of the medical education is to produce the competent and qualified medical professionals. One essential component of medical education is to provide a good learning environment. The assessment of learning environment has been determined as a key instrument for the delivery of high quality and effective education and curriculum. Objective of this study: It is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of learning environment in new campus of medical faculty in Kotasamarahan. Methods: It was a cross-sectional, questionnaire based study and ninety year-two medical students were recruited for the study. Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: The total score of DREEM was 124.05 / 200 and scores of all subdomains indicate ‘More positive than negative’ however there are items, 3,4,9,14,17,25,27 and 48 scored <2 which need improvements to be made to further enhance the quality of learning environment in new medical faculty of UNIMAS. Conclusion: This study can be used as a pivoting point to help produce more competent medical graduates in the future with the implementation of an efficient learning environment

Students' Perception of the Educational Environment in an Indian Physiotherapy College

Purpose: Educational environment has a significant impact on students' behavior, academic progress and quality of learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the students’ perception of their learning environment in an Indian physiotherapy college and compare their perceptions in terms of demographic attributes and academic level. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 undergraduate physiotherapy students. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), a 50-item, self-administered inventory was employed to assess the student’s perception of learning environment. It comprises of five domains: students’ perceptions of learning; students’ perceptions of teachers; students’ academic self-perceptions; students’ perceptions of atmosphere and students’ social self-perceptions. Descriptive statistics, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data. P-value &lt; 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The mean DREEM score was 122.66 ± 17.39 reflecting a more of positive than negative educational environment in this institution. There was a significant difference in the overall DREEM score (p = 0.000) based on the year of study with highest mean score in first year (127.57 ± 13.81). Evaluating the sub-domains of perception, the students in all the years had a more positive perception of learning (29.22 ± 5.35), their perception of teachers moved in the right direction (26.52 ± 5.05), their academic self-perception was more on the positive side (21.23± 3.72), they had a more positive perception of atmosphere (28.56± 5.64) and their social self-perception could be graded as not too bad (17.13 ±3.08). No significant gender difference was noted for overall DREEM score and all domain scores. Conclusion: The present study revealed that all undergraduate physiotherapy students perceived their educational environment positively. However, some areas require remedial measures in order to enhance the educational experience. Advocating problem-based learning, student mentorship, counseling and workshops on teaching-learning for teachers might enable us to enrich our learning environment.

The learning environment of four undergraduate health professional schools: Lessons learned.

Background and Objectives:Learning is an interplay between cognition and environmental factors. Any learning environment, that fulfills the intrinsic and extrinsic needs of the students will probably lead to better and more promising learning outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the student perceptions of Learning Environment (LE) in four health schools of a large university and compare between schools, years of study, and gender.Methods:Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire and a socio-demographic questionnaire were completed by 1185 undergraduate students enrolled in the school of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Applied Medical Sciences (AMS) of a large university during the academic year 2012-2013. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. Independent student t-test or ANOVA (with Tukey post-hoc test) was used for continuous variables at a significance level of p≤0.05.Results:The mean total DREEM score was 89.23±33.3. The total DREEM mean scores for Dentistry (120.54±23.45) and Medicine (110.72±19.33) were higher compared with AMS (63.48±21.36) and Nursing (57.48±22.80) (p=0.000) (Post hoc Tukey p=0.000). First year students gave significantly higher positive perceptions ratings than the rest of the years (p=0.000). Total scores were significantly higher for male (92.78±33.86) than female students (84.70±32.25) p=0.000.Conclusion:The LE significantly differed by year and gender. The students from non-integrated curricula (nursing and AMS) perceived the LE less positively than their integrated curriculum counterparts (medicine and dentistry). A qualitative study is needed to investigate the variation in the perception of LE among these groups.

Students’ Perceived Learning Environment for Self Regulation

The aim of this review was to identify students’ perceptions of self-regulated learning environment. Seven studies (N = 16, 493) met inclusion criteria for this review. Five top characteristics of self-regulated learning environment identified in most studies were teachers’ social support, student cohesiveness, equity, task orientation, autonomy support regardless of the variability in terms of participants’ age group, types of learning institution or geographical location. This reviewprovides synthesized information for more effective implementation ofself-regulated learning in future.

Students’ perceptions of a blended learning environment for English training at a university in Vietnam

Students’ perceptions of a blended learning environment for English training at a university in Vietnam

Self Assessment of Dental students' Perception of Learning Environment in Croatia, India and Nepal.

AimThe aim of this study was to assess dental students' perception of different learning environment in India, Nepal and Croatia.MethodsThe study was conducted during a period of academic year 2016/17. A total of 849 dental students participated in the study. There were 188 respondents from Croatia, 373 from India, and 288 from Nepal. Non-responders were not followed up. The Dental Student Learning Environment Survey (DSLES) was used which consisted of 55 items subdivided into seven scales. The scales measured the following perceptions: Flexibility, ‘Student-to-Student Interactions, Emotional Climate, Supportiveness, Meaningful Experience, Organization and Breadth of Interest. Statistical analysis of the data utilised the Kolmogorov Smirnov test. The Kruskal-Wallis “non-parametric ANOVA” was also used to test the differences between the countries. A post hoc analysis was performed using Ranks tables and the Median test.ResultsThe response rate was 26.9%. Significant differences between the countries were found for all DSLES variables (Kruskal-Wallis, p<0.01). The Median test also showed significant differences between the countries for all DSLES variables (p<0.01). The scales with the highest mean values were ‘Student-to-student interactions’ in India and Nepal, and the ‘Emotional Climate’ in Croatia.ConclusionsStudents in Croatia rated their school only with grades excellent and good, while their colleagues in India and Nepal were more critical. Despite the different settings in three countries, ‘Flexibility’ was identified as the area of weakness in all three educational systems.

Psychological Safety and Support: Assessing Resident Perceptions of the Clinical Learning Environment.

Assessments of the clinical learning environment could allow early interventions to improve graduate medical education. To date, measurement tools for this have not been identified. We established the concurrent validity of 2 instruments that assess cultural facets of the clinical learning environment by correlating them with external program evaluation data. In 2017 we surveyed residents across 19 training programs on their perceptions of organizational support by using the Short Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS), and psychological safety by using the Psychological Safety Scale (PSS). Data were aggregated to the program level and correlated with results from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Resident Survey. Of 511 residents, 322 (63%) completed the survey, and 496 of 516 residents (96%) completed the ACGME Resident Survey. Perceived organizational support correlated positively with overall program evaluation score (r = 0.75, P < .001); faculty (r = 0.72, P < .001); evaluation (r = 0.73, P < .001); educational content (r = 0.52, P = .022); and resources domains (r = 0.55, P = .014). Psychological safety had a positive correlation with overall program evaluation (r = 0.57, P = .011); faculty (r = 0.50, P = .028); and evaluation (r = 0.62, P < .005). The SPOS and PSS correlated with key ACGME Resident Survey domains. Programs showing greater support of residents were likely to show more positive ratings on program evaluation metrics. Teaching institutions may benefit from actively monitoring and improving aspects of their learning environment through internal assessments.

Associations between learning community engagement and burnout, quality of life, and empathy among medical students.

ObjectivesTo inform evidence-based design and implementation of medical school learning communities (LCs) by investigating which LC components medical students at one school with a multi-component LC were most valued and which were associated with desirable outcomes. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, all Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (JHSOM) students were surveyed in Spring 2016 regarding perceived value of LC components (peers, faculty advisors, Clinical Foundations of Medicine (CFM) clinical skills course, quarterly reflective discussion sessions, social activities, and LC rooms) with learning environment (LE) perceptions, quality of life, burnout, and empathy assessed as outcomes. Multivariate logistic regressions analyzed associations between LC components and outcomes. ResultsOverall 368/480 (77%) students responded. CFM was highly valued by 286 (80%) students, advisors by 277 (75%). All LC components were significantly associated with favorable overall LE perceptions, but associations with LE subdomains varied. CFM was the only LC component to have significant associations with greater empathic concern (OR 2.1, 95% CI=1.2-3.7) and perspective-taking (OR 1.8, 95% CI=1.0-3.1), less emotional exhaustion (OR 0.4, 95% CI=0.2-0.6) and depersonalization (OR 0.3, 95% CI=0.1-0.5), and good quality of life (OR 3.7, 95% CI=1.9-7.1). Every other LC component, except LC rooms, was associated with greater empathy or enhanced well-being. ConclusionsComponents within an LC are valued differently and vary in their relationships with student outcomes. Future LC research may isolate the effects of and explore interactions among different LC components, leading to more purposeful LC design and allocation of resources.

The Role of authentic leadership in Islamic Azad University students' perceived learning environment

The Role of authentic leadership in Islamic Azad University students' perceived learning environment