Strides in Development of Medical Education

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologist, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Pathology AND Oral Diseases Research Center AND Social Determinants on Oral Health Research Center, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Scie

2 Dentist, endodontology Research Center, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

3 Oral Diseases Specialist, Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine AND Oral and Dental Diseases Research Center, School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Background & Objective: Educational institutes have different approaches to the evaluation of their activities Many factors in the teaching process affect the learning process This study investigated the attitudes of dental students in the School of Dentistry of Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Iran) toward the current educational condition and learning atmosphere using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) Methods: This descriptive crosssectional study was performed on 205 dental students in 2013 DREEM includes questions on demographic information and 50 questions in 5 subscales (students perceptions of learning students perceptions of teachers students academic selfperceptions students perceptions of atmosphere and students social selfperceptions) The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS software Results: The mean of the achieved scores in the 5 subscales was 15223 ± 1563 out of 250 among men and 16464 ± 1880 among women Amongst the study population 9% found the educational conditions highly undesirable Statistically significant differences were observed only for the learning subscale between the 3rdyear and 4thyear students Conclusion: Students attitudes toward the learning environment of Kerman University of Medical Sciences were mostly positive but there were some inconsistencies It seems that stress fatigue and lack of feedback from teachers has caused negative emotions among students

Keywords

  1. Divaris K, Barlow PJ, Chendea SA, Cheong WS, Dounis A, Dragan IF, et al. The academic environment: the students’ perspective. Eur J Dent Educ. 2008; 12 Suppl 1:120-30.
  2. Polychronopoulou A, Divaris K. Perceived sources of stress among Greek dental students. J Dent Educ. 2005: 69(6): 687 –92.
  3. Polychronopoulou A, Divaris K. Dental students’ perceived sources of stress: a multi-country study. J Dent Educ. 2009: 73(5): 631–9.
  4. Peter M, Fayers DM. Quality of life: assessment, analysis and interpretation. Chichester: John Willey & Sons; 2000: 85.
  5. Roff S. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM): a generic instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of undergraduate health professions curricula. Med Teach. 2005: 27(4): 322–5.
  6. Al-Hazimi A, Zaini R, Al-Hyiani A, Hassan N, Gunaid A, Ponnamperuma G, et al. Educational environment in traditional and innovative medical schools: a study in four undergraduate medical schools. Educ Health (Abingdon). 2004: 17(2):192–203.
  7. Bassaw B, Roff S, McAleer S, Roopnarinesingh S, De Lisle J, Teelucksingh S, et al. Students’ perspectives on the educational environment, Faculty of  Medical  Sciences,  Trinidad.  Med Teach.  2003:  25(5):  522–6.
  8. Abraham  R,  Ramnarayan  K,  Vinod  P,  Torke  S. Students’  perceptions  of  learning  environment  in an  Indian  medical  school.  BMC  Med  Educ.  2008; 8(1):20. 
  9. Denz-Penhey  H,  Murdoch  JC.  A  comparison between  findings  from  the  DREEM  questionnaire and  that  from  qualitative  interviews.  Med  Teach. 2009;  31(10):e449-53.
  10. Edgren  G,  Haffling  AC,  Jakobsson  U,  McAleer  S, Danielsen  N.  Comparing  the  educational environment  (as  measured  by  DREEM)  at  two different  stages  of  curriculum  reform.  Med  Teach. 2010:  32(6):  e233–8.
  11. Jiffry  MT,  McAleer  S,  Fernando  S,  Marasinghe RB.  Using  the  DREEM  questionnaire  to  gather baseline  information  on  an  evolving  medical school  in  Sri  Lanka.  Med  Teach.  2005:  27(4): 348–52.
  12. Riquelme  A,  Oporto  M,  Oporto  J,  Méndez  JI, Viviani  P,  Salech  F,  et  al.  Measuring  students' perceptions  of  the  educational  climate  of  the  new curriculum  at  the  Pontificia  Universidad  Católica de  Chile:  performance  of  the  Spanish  translation of  the  Dundee  Ready  Education  Environment Measure  (DREEM).  Educ  Health  (Abingdon). 2009;  22(1):112.
  13. Roff  S,  McAleer  S,  Ifere  OS,  Bhattacharya  S.  A global  diagnostic  tool  for  measuring  educational environment:  comparing  Nigeria  and  Nepal.  Med Teach.  2001:  23(4):  378–82.
  14. Whittle  SR,  Whelan  B,  Murdoch-Eaton  DG. DREEM  and  beyond;  studies  of  the  educational environment  as  a  means  for  its  enhancement. Educ  Health  (Abingdon).  2007;  20(1):7.
  15. Dimoliatis  ID,  Vasilaki  E,  Anastassopoulos  P, Ioannidis  JP,  Roff  S.  Validation  of  the  Greek translation  of  the  Dundee  Ready  Education Environment  Measure  (DREEM).  Educ  Health (Abingdon).  2010;  23(1):348.
  16. Dimoliatis  IDK.  The  Dundee  Ready  Education Environment  Measure  (DREEM)  in  Greek:  how  it should  be  used  and  preliminary  experience  in Greek  medical  educational  environment.  Arch Hell  Med.  2010:27(3):509–21.
  17. Thomas  BS,  Abraham  RR,  Alexander  M, Ramnarayan  K.  Students'  perceptions  regarding educational  environment  in  an  Indian  dental school.  Med  Teach.  2009;  31(5):e185-6.
  18. Till  H.  Identifying  the  perceived  weaknesses  of  a new  curriculum  by  means  of  the  Dundee  Ready Education  Environment  Measure  (DREEM) Inventory.  Med  Teach.  2004:  26(1):  39–45.
  19. Kossioni  AE,  Varela  R,  Ekonomu  I,  Lyrakos  G, Dimoliatis  ID.  Students’  perceptions  of  the educational  environment  in  a  Greek  Dental School,  as  measured  by  DREEM.  Eur  J  Dent Educ.  2012;  16(1):e73-8.
  20. Azizi  F,  Fazel  Moghaddam  S,  Khademloo  M, Ghorbani  Gho  abadli  S,  Azizi  B.  Study  on  attitude of  pharmacy  students  about  learning  conditions  in Mazandaran  University  of  Medical  Sciences.  J Mazandaran Univ Med 22(1supply):252-49.  [In  Persian] Sci. 2013;
  21. Clark CM,  Springer  PJ.  Incivility  in  nursing education:  a  descriptive  study  of  definitions  and prevalence.  J  Nurs  Educ.  2007;  46(1):7-14.
  22. Varma  R,  Tiyagi  E,  Gupta  JK.  Determining  the quality  of  educational  climate  across  multiple undergraduate  teaching  sites  using  the  DREEM inventory.  BMC  Med  Educ.  2005;  5(1):8.
  23. Nunally JC,  Bernstein  IH.  Psychometric  theory. 2nd  ed.  New  York:  McGraw  Hill;  1978. 
  24. Streiner  LD,  Norman  GR,  Cairney  J.  Health Measurement  Scales:  A  Practical  Guide  to  Their Development  and  Use  (4th  ed).  New  York: Oxford  University  Press;  2008.
  25. Hammond SM,  O'Rourke  M,  Kelly  M,  Bennett  D, O'Flynn  S.  A  psychometric  appraisal  of  the DREEM.  BMC Med Educ.  2012;  12:2.
  26. Jakobsson  U,  Danielsen  N,  Edgren  G. Psychometric  evaluation  of  the  Dundee  Ready Educational  Environment  Measure:  Swedish version.  Med  Teach.  2011;  33(5):  e267-74. 
  27. Khan  JS,  Tabasum  S,  Yousafzai  UK,  Fatima  M. DREEM  on:  validation  of  the  Dundee  Ready Education  Environment  Measure  in  Pakistan.  J Pak  Med  Assoc.  2011;  61(9):885-8.
  28. McAleer  SRS.  What  is  educational  climate?  Med Teach.  2010;  23(4):  333-4.
  29. Karl  Haden  N,  Andrieu  SC,  Gregory  Chadwick D,  Chmar  JE  ,  Cole  JR,  George  MC,  et  al.  The Dental Education Environment, ADEA Commission  on  Change  and  Innovation  in  Dental Education.  J  Dent  Educ.  2006;  70(12):  1265-70.
  30. Masella  RS.  Internal  dental  school  environmental factors  promoting  faculty  survival  and  success.  J Dent  Educ.  2005;  69(4):  440-5. 
  31. Henzi  D,  Davis  E,  Jasinevicius  R,  Hendricson  W, Cintron  L,  Isaacs  M.  Appraisal  of  the  Dental school  learning  Envirnment  :  The  student,  views. J  Dent  Educ.  2005;  69(10):1137-47.
  32. Giddon  DB.  Why  dentists  should  be  called  oral physician  now.  J  Dent  Educ.  2006;  70(2);  111-4.
  33. Plasschaert AJ,  Holbrook  WP,  Delap  E,  Martinez C,  Walmsley  AD.  Profile  and  competences  for  the European  dentist.  Eur  J  Dent  Educ.  2005;  9(3):98107.
  34. Haghparast  N,  Sedghizadeh  PP,  Shuler  CF,  Ferati D,  Christersson  C.  Evaluation  of  student  and faculty  perceptions  of  the  PBL  curriculum  at  two dental  schools  from  a  student  perspective:  a  crosssectional  survey.  Eur  J  Dent  Educ.  2007; 11(1):14-22.  [In  Persian]
  35. Jabarifar  S,  Khademi  A,  Khalifehsoltani  F, Yousefi  A.  Assessment  of  Isfahan  dentistry students  about  learning  -  teaching  environment. Iran  J  Med  Educ.  2011;  10(5):860-7.  [In  Persian]
  36. Soltani Arabshahi  K,  Kouhpayezadeh  J,  Sobuti  B. The  educational  environment  of  main  clinical wards  in  educational  hospitals  affiliated  to  Iran University  of  Medical  Sciences:  learners' viewpoints  based  on  DREEM  model.  Iran  J  Med Edu.  2008;  8(1):  43-50.  [In  Persian] 
  37. National  and  Kapodistrian  University  of  Athens, School  of  Dentistry.  Self-assessment  report. Academic  Year:  2007–2008.  [Cited  2008  Nov 16]. Available from: Available from: http://www.dent.uoa.gr/fileadmin/dent.uoa.gr/upl oads/evaluation/selfassesment08-09.pdf.