Students’ perceptions of the academic learning environment in seven medical sciences courses based on DREEM

Figures & data

Table 1 The approximate guide to interpreting DREEM Scores

Total score	Students’ perception of teachers	Students’ academic self-perceptions
0–50 Very poor	0–11 Abysmal	0–8 Feelings of total failure
51–100 Plenty of problems	12–22 In need of some retraining	9–16 Many negative aspects
101–150 More positive than negative	23–33 Moving in the right direction	17–24 Feeling more on the positive side
151–200 Excellent	34–44 Model teachers	25–32 Confident
Students’ perception of learning	Students’ social self-perceptions	Students’ perception of atmosphere
0–12 Very poor	0–7 Miserable	0–12 A terrible environment
13–24 Teaching is viewed negatively	8–14 Not a nice place	13–24 There are many issues which need changing
25–36 A more positive perception	15–21 Not too bad	25–36 A more positive atmosphere
37–48 Teaching highly thought of	22–28 Very good socially	37–48 A good feeling overall

Abbreviation: DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure.

Figure 1 DREEM score by course name.

Abbreviations: DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure.

Table 2 Mean (SD) subscale and total DREEM scores for Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences disciplines (N=493)

Health science discipline	SPL (max =48)	SPT (max =44)	SAP (max =38)	SPA (max =48)	SSP (max =28)	Overall DREEM	DREEM (%)
Nursing n=202	27.4 (5.9)	24.3 (5.9)	20.3 (4.5)	26.8 (5.6)	15.6 (4.2)	114.3 (20.6)	57.15
Midwifery n=64	24.8 (4.2)	23.5 (4.2)	18.3 (5.1)	25.4 (6.6)	15.2 (4.7)	106.23 (22.7)	53.1
Laboratory sciences n=44	28.6 (5.8)	25.5 (8.4)	22.2 (6.5)	28.2 (5.6)	14.1 (4.8)	120.95 (21.7)	60.2
Anesthesia n=51	27.8 (3.3)	24.4 (3.4)	21.7 (5.2)	28.9 (3.1)	16.3 (10.8)	120.58 (14.3)	60.3
Radiology n=51	24.9 (5.1)	23.2 (8.7)	18.5 (3.3)	24.1 (5.6)	14.7 (3.3)	105.6 (19.5)	52.3
Operation room nursing n=46	29.6 (7.9)	29.8 (3.7)	21.3 (3.5)	29.5 (11.2)	14.5 (4.3)	121.87 (21.7)	60.9
Medical emergency n=35	28.8 (4.6)	23.9 (4.1)	22.7 (2)	25.8 (3)	16.6 (2.1)	117.8 (11.7)	58.9
P-value	0.03	0.4	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.001
Lower 95% CI	26.15	23.5	19.5	26.12	14.67	110.62	55.67
Upper 95% CI	27.3	24.6	20.4	27.28	15.51	114.71	57.03
Total N=493	27.4 (5.7)	24.6 (3.9)	20.5 (4.1)	26.7 (5.1)	15.7 (3.3)	113.5 (17.3)	56.7
Percentage for each domain	57.2	55.9	53.9	55.8	56.0	56.7

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure; SAP, students’ academic self-perception; SD, standard deviation; SPA, students’ perception of atmosphere; SPL, students’ perceptions of learning; SPT, students’ perceptions of teaching; SSP, students’ social self-perception.

Table 3 Mean (%) subscale and total DREEM scores for Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences students by sex (N=493)

Subscale	Female	Male	Total	P-value
Perception of learning (%) (max =48)	27.38 (57.05)	27.58 (57.47)	27.4 (57.2)	0.8
Perceptions of teachers (%) (max =44)	24.62 (55.96)	24.56 (55.83)	24.6 (55.9)	0.9
Academic self-perception (%) (max =38)	20.7 (64.73)	20.13 (62.92)	20.5 (64.11)	0.3
Perceptions of atmosphere (%) (max =48)	6.9 (56.04)	26.68 (55.59)	26.8 (55.89)	0.7
Social self-perception (%) (max =28)	16.16 (57.74)	15.03 (53.71)	15.7 (56.38)	0.09
Total DREEM (%)	116.2 (58.1)	110.72 (55.36)	113.5 (56.74)	0.03

Abbreviation: DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure; max, maximum.

Table 4 Mean (SD) subscale and total DREEM scores for Rafsanjan University Medical Sciences students by year of enrollment (N=493)

Subscale	1st year	2nd year	3rd year	4th year	Total DREEM	P-value
Perception of learning (max =48)	28.39 (59.15)	27.06 (56.39)	26.16 (54.3)	28.97 (60.35)	27.4 (57.24)	0.04
Perception of teachers (max =44)	26.49 (60.2)	23.23 (52.8)	23.21 (52.76)	25.38 (57.7)	24.60 (55.91)	0.001
Academic self-perception (max =38)	20.88 (65.25)	20.8 (65.01)	19.8 (61.89)	20.63 (64.49)	20.5 (64.11)	0.48
Perceptions of atmosphere (max =48)	28.29 (58.94)	25.69 (53.53)	25.9 (53.97)	27.19 (56.65)	26.8 (55.89)	0.008
Social self-perception (max =28)	15.66 (55.95)	15.68 (56)	16.19 (57.83)	15.3 (54.66)	15.7 (56.07)	0.8
Total DREEM	119.73 (56.86)	112.49 (56.24)	111.19 (55.59)	117.5 (58.75)	113.5 (56.74)	0.03

Abbreviations: DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure; SD, standard deviation.

Table 5 Mean (SD) scores for each DREEM item

Items	Mean (SD)
Factor I: students’ perceptions of learning
40. The teachers are well-prepared for their classes	2.44 (1.27)
2. The teachers are knowledgeable	2.57 (88)
20. The teaching is well-focused	2.18 (952)
23. The atmosphere is relaxed during lectures	2.09 (1.03)
24. The teaching time is put to good use	2.18 (1.08)
29. The teachers are good at providing feedback to students	2.35 (2.71)
45. Much of what I have to learn seems relevant to a career in health care	2.63 (1.03)
37. The teachers give clear examples	2.30 (0.921)
12. The school is well-timetabled	1.97 (1.04)
7. The teaching is often stimulating	1.96 (1.13)
11. The atmosphere is relaxed during the ward teaching	2.54 (0.95)
38. I am clear about the learning objectives of the course	2.27 (1.01)
43. The atmosphere motivated me as a learner	2.69 (1.68)
47. Long-term learning is emphasized over short-term learning	2.24 (1.10)
Factor II: students’ perceptions of teachers
50. The students irritate the teachers	1.78 (1.08)
8. The teachers ridicule the student	2.19 (2.45)
9. The teachers are authoritarian	1.73 (0.99)
39. The teachers get angry in class	2.38 (0.92)
48. The teaching is too teacher-centered	2.04 (1.12)
35. I find the experience disappointing	1.55 (0.96)
25. The teaching over-emphasizes factual learning	2.24 (1.10)
	1.75 (1.02)
Factor III: students’ social self-perceptions
3. There is a good support system for students who get stressed	1.53 (3.13)
6. The teachers are patient with patients	1.81 (0.88)
1. I am encouraged to participate in class	3.10 (2.31)
15. I have good friends in this school	3 (0.97)
4. I am too tired to enjoy this course	2.43 (1.10)
19. My social life is good	2.10 (2.51)
14. I am rarely bored on this course	1.96 (1.13)
Factor IV: students’ perceptions of atmosphere
30. There are opportunities for me to develop interpersonal skills	2.65 (2.78)
31. I have learned a lot about empathy in my profession	2.64 (1.61)
41. My problem-solving skills are being well developed here	2.42 (2.17)
16. The teaching helps to develop my confidence	2.80 (0.97)
19. My social life is good	2.81 (1.01)
32. The teachers provide constructive criticism here	2.03 (0.93)
21. I feel I am being well prepared for my profession	2.43 (1.10)
13. The teaching is student-centered	1.75 (1)
22. The teaching helps to develop my confidence	2.78 (0.94)
34. The atmosphere is relaxed during seminars/tutorials	2.37 (0.92)
18. The teachers have good communication skills with patients	2.26 (0.82)
49. I feel able to ask the questions I want	2.21 (1.20)
33. I feel comfortable in class socially	2.45 (0.95)
Factor V: students’ academic self-perceptions
27. I am able to memorize all I need	2.17 (1.05)
5. Learning strategies which worked for me before continue to work for me now	2.31 (0.83)
36. I am able to concentrate well	2.02 (1.01)
26. Last year’s work has been a good preparation for this year’s work	2.49 (0.95)
28. I seldom feel lonely	2 (1.11)
42. The enjoyment outweighs the stress of studying medicine	2.23 (1.20)
44. The teaching encourages me to be an active learner	2.54 (0.94)
46. My accommodation is pleasant	1.89 (1.27)
10. I am confident about passing this year	2.78 (2.02)
17. Cheating is a problem in this school	1.86 (1.27)
Total mean DREEM	113.5(17.3)

Abbreviations: DREEM, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure; SD, standard deviation.