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The Malaysia DREEM: perceptions of medical students about the learning environment in a medical school in Malaysia

Al-Naggar RA 1 , Abdulghani M 2 , Osman MT 3 , Al-Kubaisy W 1 , Daher AM 4 , Nor Aripin KN 5 Show all authors , Assabri A 6 , Al-Hidabi DA 7 , Ibrahim MI 8 , Al-Rofaai A 9 , Ibrahim HS 10 , Al-Talib H 11 , Al-Khateeb A 12 , Othman GQ 7 , Abdulaziz QA 7 , Chinna K 13 , Bobryshev YV 14

Affiliations 

  • 1 Population Health and Preventive Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
  • 2 Pharmacology Department, International Medical School, Management and Science University, Malaysia ; Pharmacology Department, Unaizah College of Pharmacy (UCP), Qassim University, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine & Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Community medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Islamic Science University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 6 Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Sana'a University, Yemen
  • 7 University of Science and Technology, Sana'a, Yemen
  • 8 College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  • 9 School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
  • 10 Physiology Discipline-Faculty Of Medicine and Health Sciences-Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 11 Laboratory Medical Science Cluster, Drug Discovery & Health Community of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
  • 12 Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Discipline, Drug Discovery & Health Community of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
  • 13 Social and Preventive Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 14 Faculty of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Adv Med Educ Pract, 2014;5:177-84.
PMID: 24959093 DOI: 10.2147/AMEP.S61805

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Students' perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and weaknesses, are important for continuous improvement of the educational environments and curriculum. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore students' perceptions of their learning environment, among medical students in Malaysia. Various aspects of the education environment were compared between year levels and sex.

METHODS:
This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia in 2012. A total number of 438 medical students participated in this study, and the response rate was 87.6%. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Comparisons of the mean scores of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) subscales were calculated. The t-test was used to determine statistically significant differences.

RESULTS:
The majority of the study participants were female, Malay, and from year 3 (68.7%, 65.3%, and 55.7%; respectively). Analysis of each of the 50 items of the DREEM inventory showed that 47 items scored ranged between 2.00 and 3.00, and three items scored below 2.00. These were identified as problem areas in this medical school that are required to be critically addressed. The overall score showed that the medical students' perceptions were positive. The students' perception toward educational environment was positive for all five DREEM subscales.

CONCLUSION:
The study found that, in general, the perceptions of the participants about the learning environment were positive. Nevertheless, the study also found there is a need for curriculum improvement in this school and identified priority areas for such improvement.

KEYWORDS:
DREEM; Malaysia; learning environment; medical education; students’ perceptions

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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