Perceptions of Educational Environment among Undergraduate Medical Students in a Tertiary Institution in South-East Nigeria

Main Article Content

Bernard I Ituma
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3402-3203
Elizabeth U Nwonwu
Anthony C Onyeka
Sunday B Agbom
Christiantus O Nwaduru

Abstract

Background: Educational environment involves all learning activities between students and teachers including physical facilities in the institutions. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing the medical students' perceptions of their learning environment at Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria with a view to improving the quality of medical education. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 344 medical students from the second to the sixth year selected by stratified sampling method. Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measures (DREEM) inventory which is composed of five domains was applied to assess the various aspects of the effective educational environment. Statistical analyses (proportions and mean score percentages) were carried out using IBM-SPSS version 25 software. Results: One hundred and eighty-three (53.2%) were male respondents and 161 (46.8%) were female respondents. The mean age was 22.4 ± 2.9 years with 67(19.5%) students in second year, 95(27.6%) in the third year, 65(18.9%) in the fourth year, 51(14.8%) in the fifth year and 66(19.2%) in the sixth year. The mean global perception in our study was 102.4/200 points (51.2%). Scores for students' academic self-perception (SASP), student's perception of learning (SPL), and students' social self-perception (SSSP) were 20.7/32 (64.6%), 27.7/48 (57.8%), 16.6/28 (51.8%) respectively. Two key areas needed attention: students' perception of course organizers (SPCO) and student's perception of the atmosphere (SPA) which were 20.9/44 (47.6%) and 16.4/48 (34.2%) respectively. Conclusion: Improvement is needed in some aspects of teaching and atmosphere. This will further be of benefit to medical students and their training as well as performance.

Article Details

How to Cite
Ituma, B. I., Nwonwu, E. U., Onyeka, A. C., Agbom, S. B., & Nwaduru, C. O. (2022). Perceptions of Educational Environment among Undergraduate Medical Students in a Tertiary Institution in South-East Nigeria . Journal of Basic Medical and Clinical Sciences, 1(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7275123
Section
Original Articles

References

Yehia SH, Gaber EN. Students’ perception of the educational environment of the nursing program in Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences at Umm Al Qura University KSA. J Am Sci, 2012; 8(84): 69-75.

S alam A, Akram A, Mohamad N, Siraj HH. Measures of educational environment in a higher educational institution using Dundee ready educational environment measure –DREEM. Int Med J, 2015; 22(2): 98-102.

Buhari MA, Nwannadi IA, Oghagbon EK, Bello JM. Students’perception of their learning environment at College of Medicine, University of Ilorin, South west Nigeria. West Afr J Med, 2014; 33(2): 141-5.

Hasan T, Gupta P. Assessing the learning environment at Jazan medical school of Saudi Arabia. Med Teach, 2013:35.

Veerapen K, McAlear S. Students’ perception of the learning environment in a distributed medical program. Med Edu, 2015: 15.

Hamid B, Faroukh A, Mohammadhosein B. Nursing students’ perceptions of their educational environment based on DREEM model in an Iranian University. Malaysian J Med Sci, 2013; 20(40): 55-62.

Gowda PP, Ismail SK. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure. A prospective comparative study of undergraduate medical students’ and interns’ perception in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University medical Journal, 2018; 18(2): 173.

Roff S, McAlear S, Ifere OS, Bhattacharya S. A global diagnostic tool for measuring educational environment: comparing Nigeria and Nepal. Medical Teacher, 2001; 23:378-82.

Oghagbon EK, Nwannadi AI, Achingles G. Medical students’ perception of learning environment at Benue State University College of Health Sciences, Makurdi North central Nigeria. J Biomed Res & Clin Sci, 2018; 1(1): 46-52.

Riquelme A, Oporto M, Oporto J, Mendez JI, Viviani P et al. Measuring students’ perception of the educational climate of the new curriculum at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: performance of the Spanish translation of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Edu Health (Abingdom), 2009; 22: 112-116.

Bouhaimed M, Thalib L, Doi SAR. Perception of the educational environment by medical students undergoing a curricular transition in Kuwait. Med Princ Pract,2009; 18:204-208.

Shreemathi S, Sue R. Students’ perception of educational environment: A comparison of academic achievers and under-achievers at Kasturba medical college India. Education for Health, 2004; 17: 280-291.

Al-Ayed IH, Sheik SA. Assessment of the educational environment at the College of Medicine of King Saud University, Riyadh. East Mediterr Health, 2008; 14: 953-959.

Al- Hazimi, Zaini R, Al- Hyani A, Hasan N, Gunaid et al. Educational environment in a traditional and innovative medical schools: a study in four undergraduate medical schools. Educ for Health, 2004; 17: 192-203.

Snadden D. Student health and abuse: what is going on out there? Med Teacher, 2003; 25: 461-462.

Maudsley RF. Role models and learning environment: essential elements in effective medical education. Acad Med, 2001; 76; 432-434.

Dent JA, Harden MH. A practical guide for medical teachers. 2nd ed. Philadelphia PA: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005: 77-85.

Oku A, Oku O, Owoaje E, Ikpeme B. Prevalence of stress, stressors and coping strategies among medical students in a Nigerian medical school. African J Med Heal Sci, 2015;14(1):29

Avalos G, Freeman C, Dunne F. Determining the quality of medical educational environment at Irish medical school using the DREEM inventory. Iran Med J, 2007; 100: 522-525.

Abdulrahaman A, AlMohaimeed. Perceptions of the educational environment of a new medical school Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Health Sciences, 2013; 7: 150-159.

Jawaid M, Raheel S, Ahmed F, Aijaz H. Students’ perception of educational environment at Public Sector Medical University of Pakistan. J Res Med Sci 2013;18:417-21.