Medical students' perceptions of their educational environment: expected versus actual perceptions

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Student Perception
• Educational Environment Assessment

Background:

• Assessing medical students' educational environment is crucial for curriculum development.
• The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated tool for this purpose.
• Understanding student expectations versus reality provides insights into educational effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare Year 1 medical students' initial expectations of their educational environment with their actual experiences.
• To identify specific areas of dissonance between expected and actual perceptions using the DREEM.
• To evaluate the utility of DREEM in identifying areas for educational improvement.

Main Methods:

• Year 1 medical students (n=130) at UEA Medical School completed the DREEM twice.
• The first DREEM assessed expected perceptions at the start of Year 1.
• The second DREEM assessed actual experiences at the end of Year 1 (n=87).

Main Results:

• The mean Expected DREEM score was 153/200, while the Actual DREEM score was 143/200.
• Students' expected perceptions of learning, teachers, and academic/social self were more positive than actual experiences.
• No significant difference was found in perceptions of atmosphere; some low expectations were met.

Conclusions:

• Year 1 medical students' initial expectations of their educational environment were not fully met.
• Areas of dissonance between expectations and reality often corresponded to low DREEM scores, indicating areas for remediation.
• The DREEM effectively identifies aspects of the educational environment requiring improvement, irrespective of pre-existing student expectations.