The Learning Environment of Four Undergraduate Health Professional Schools: Lessons Learned. | [Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences • 2019]

Author(s):

1. Farhana Irfan: Centre for Medical Education, National University of Singapore, Singapore

2. Eiad Al Faris: Centre for Medical Education, National University of Singapore, Singapore

3. Nasr Al Maflehi: Centre for Medical Education, National University of Singapore, Singapore

4. Syed Irfan Karim: Centre for Medical Education, National University of Singapore, Singapore

5. Gominda Ponnamperuma: Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

6. Hussain Saad: Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

7. Abdullah MA Ahmed: Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract:

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. Chisquare 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.

Page(s): 598-604

DOI: DOI not available

Published: Journal: Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, Volume: 35, Issue: 3, Year: 2019

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