Perception of undergraduate medical students to the existing learning environment, India

Abstract

The learning environment of a medical institution is measurable and can be changed to enhance the quality of medical education. DREEM (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure) is a valid and reliable tool to measure the learning environment. The study aims to know the perception of medical students about the existing learning environment and to find the problem areas in it. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 medical students of the third, sixth and seventh semesters, studying at ESIC Medical College. DREEM questionnaire was used to know the students' perception of the existing learning environment. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data.  Overall mean DREEM score for all academic years was 123.90 + 21.6. Mean domain scores of, Students' Perception of Learning (SPL), Students' Perception of Teachers (SPT), Students' Academic Self Perception (SASP), Students' Perception of Atmosphere (SPA), Students' Social Self Performance (SSSP) were 30.79+5.42, 28.01+4.96, 20.87+4.24, 30.33+6.71, 16.74+4.20 respectively. Comparison of the mean domain scores among three semesters was found to be statistically significant. The items, the teaching over emphasized factual learning (q25), unable to memorize the required content (q27), and the stress of the course (q42) had mean item scores of 1.68,1.87 and 1.98 respectively.  This study showed that the majority of students had "more positive than negative" perceptions, interpreting that the institution provides a reasonably good learning environment. However, it identifies certain problem areas that need to be addressed to enhance the quality of medical education