Educational climate perception by preclinical and clinical medical students in five Spanish medical schools

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate student's perceptions of Educational Climate (EC) in Spanish medical schools, comparing various aspects of EC between the 2nd (preclinical) and the 4th (clinical) years to detect strengths and weaknesses in the on-going curricular reform. MethodsThis study utilized a cross-sectional design and employed the Spanish version of the "Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure" (DREEM). The survey involved 894 2nd year students and 619 4th year students from five Spanish medical schools. ResultsThe global average score of 2nd year students from the five medical schools was found to be significantly higher (116.2±24.9, 58.2% of maximum score) than that observed in 4th year students (104.8±29.5, 52.4% of maximum score). When the results in each medical school were analysed separately, the scores obtained in the 2nd year were almost always significantly higher than in the 4th year for all medical schools, in both the global scales and the different subscales. ConclusionsThe perception of the EC by 2nd and 4th year students from five Spanish medical schools is more positive than negative although it is significantly lower in the 4th year. In both years, although more evident in the 4th year, students point out the existence of several important "problematic educational areas" associated with the persistence of traditional curricula and teaching methodologies. Our findings of this study should lead medical schools to make a serious reflection and drive the implementation of the necessary changes required to improve teaching, especially during the clinical period.

The quality of the educational environment in a medical college in Saudi Arabia

“…Items asking about friends (number 15) and accommodation (number 46) got the highest scores. Similar results were reported in both national and foreign universities 4 , 16 . The presence of friendly relationships between the students reflects a healthy environment.…”

“…The reported scores agree with the general conclusion that DREEM scores in traditional schools are generally less than 120 9 . Similar results in Europe showed the existence of several educational problems associated with the traditional curricula and the teaching methodologies 4 . In a recent systematic review, it has been concluded that the DREEM inventory is the most suitable tool for measuring the educational environment for undergraduate medical students 18 .…”

“…In the teacher-centered education, the teacher directs the lecture-room activities and ensures that the students will not miss an important topic; however, it does not allow them to communicate, express themselves, and direct their learning. Negative perceptions of the learning subscale were also reported in Spain, and it was attributed to the use of traditional methods of teaching 4 . Greater efforts are needed to introduce learning activities that allow the students to interact with each other and to work in groups to develop their communication skills and collaborative behavior.…”

“…Evaluation of the educational environment has been regarded as a key to the delivery of high-quality medical education 3 . The evaluation can be considered as a reflection of the quality of a curriculum and can be used to identify weak areas that require appropriate measures for improvement 4 . The recent innovations in medical curricula and the increasing diversity of undergraduate students and medical courses have led to an increasing need to evaluate the educational environment of medical schools 5 …”

Moral perception, educational environment, and development of medical professionalism in medical students during the clinical rotations in Peru

“…A similar situation has been described in medical students in the case of skills for inter-professional collaborative work (Hojat et al 1999). Such differences disappear in the case of perception for the educational environment (Palés et al 2015) and the skills for lifelong medical learning (Wetzel et al 2010). Differences in the development of these elements as a function of age in studies with students have not been described either, although they have been described in studies with professionals that include a wider range of age (Hojat 2006).…”