A global diagnostic tool for measuring educational environment: comparing Nigeria and Nepal

Abstract

The paper reports comparative data from a Nigerian undergraduate medical school and a Nepalese health professions institution in order to explore the value of the previously reported Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) in 'diagnosing' the environment and climate of particular institutions and making comparative analyses in two culturally diverse situations. The Nigerian undergraduate medical school scored 118 out of a possible 200 on the DREEM global score. There were significant differences on five of the items between the male and female students and several significant differences on individual items between the students in Years 4 and 5, Years 5 and 6, and Years 4 and 6. The Nepalese global score was 130/200 and there were significantly different scores for six items between the male and female students. The scores for Years 1-3 also showed several significantly different items. These scores permitted two distinct 'diagnoses' of the two medical schools.