Evaluation of Learning Environment among First year MBBS and BDS Students at a Private Malaysian University

Background: The learning environment has a significant impact on the academic success and learning process of students. Implementing a high-quality, student-centered curriculum demands an assessment of the educational environment. The focus of this study was to compare the learning environments of first-year medical and dental students at a private Malaysian University using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire, a validated method for evaluating educational environments.

Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was undertaken with students who agreed to participate. The trial lasted three months. After obtaining consent from students for participation, demographic information was gathered. Students in the lecture hall were given physical copies of the DREEM questionnaire to assess their learning environment. A total of 225 students participated, and IBM SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. The Chi-square and Student t tests were employed to establish the existence of an association or difference between two variables.

Result: A total of 225 students were involved in this study showing 100% response rate. The total score indicated that the majority (84%) regarded the educational environment was outstanding, 15.56 percent had a more promising opinion, and a very small percentage (0.44%) believed the educational environment was terrible. In this study with noteworthy findings, medical students were happier with their lecturers and with their own academic abilities than dental students. The weakest 19 questions were identified. Most respondents had extremely favorable attitudes toward the educational environment, followed by a moderately favorable opinion. Less than 1% of pupils exhibited a negative attitude.

Conclusion: In this study, perceptions of the educational environment was satisfactory for both medical and dental students, but more positive for medical students. Measures must be taken to improve the scores and ensure that the scores are consistent across both faculties.