Dental Students Perception of Their Educational Environment

Objectives:

The duty of educators is to provide a learning environment that will promote and enhance lifelong learning and continuing professional development. Few studies have focused on the students' opinion of their dental environment. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated inventory used to identify strength and weaknesses within an educational climate.

The aim was to explore differences in perception of the environment on basis of age, gender, socioeconomic status and academic achievement.

Methods:

A pilot study was conducted at a UK dental school during September 2007. 143 Dental undergraduate students were consented to participate. The DREEM questionnaire was administered at the end of a lecture. Demographic details and academic achievements were also collected.

Results:

Satisfactory consistency of measurement (Cronbach Alpha =095) and 77.6% response rate was achieved. The mean overall DREEM score was 122±28.98. No significant gender differences (121.16 ± 30.38, 123.27 ± 27.43) for females and males respectively. Mean scores for each DREEM item varied from 1.52 to 3.17. The lowest: DREEM 12 (1.52 ± 1.21, The school is well timetable), DREEM 9 (1.69 ± 1.07, The teachers are authoritarian), and DREEM 3 (1.76 ± 1.07, There is a good support system for students who get stressed). Perception of learning environment 29/48, of teachers 26.5/44, academic self-perception 20/32, the atmosphere 29/48 was positive, and socially 17/28 not too bad. Significant differences in students' perception of learning environment (p=0.017), and perception of teachers (p=0.035) within the ethnic groups were found.

Conclusion:

The undergraduate students' perception of their dental environment was acceptable. Scores for DREEM 12 and 3 reflect the 2006-07 National Student Survey in which low scores for academic support and organization and management were identified. By triangulating evidence at local and national level specific action plans can be implemented to enhance the learning dental environment.