Health Professional Students' Perception towards Learning Environment in Gitam University Campus, India: A Cross - Sectional Study
1 Dr. Manish Kumar; 2 Dr. Sunil Kumar Bonu; 3 Dr. Dabbiru Rupa Chandini; 4 Dr. Chintada Venkata RamaniBackground: Health professional students are required to gain scientific and professional skills apart from high quality of educational services. Hence, it becomes imperative to take into consideration the view points and perception of the students’ learning environment. Objective: To measure and compare the viewpoints of GITAM University Health Professional students studying in MBBS, BDS, B-Pharm, B. Sc Nursingand BPT towards their learning environment using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire. Methodology: A cross – sectional study was carried out using a two-part questionnaire comprising demographic information and the DREEM instrument between September 2023 – February 2024. Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were calculated for each DREEM domain, and further analysed by course, year of study, and gender.One-way ANOVA with Tukey's Post Hoc test was employed to compare the mean overall DREEM scores across courses and years of study, while, unpaired t-test was used to compare the scores by gender. Results: The overall DREEM score was 120.61 ± 19.86. Individual domain scores were – ‘Students’ perceptions of learning’: 30.39 ± 6.99, ‘Students’ perceptions of teaching’: 26.66 ± 4.41, ‘Students’ academic self- perceptions’: 20.59 ± 4.65, ‘Students’ perceptions of atmosphere’: 27.19 ± 6.08, and ‘Students’ social self- perceptions’: 15.86 ± 3.35. Overall, the total DREEM score was significantly higher among nursing students (p=0.001), 1st year students (p=0.001) and males (p=0.04). Conclusion: The findings and evidences of the present study will hopefully provide the basis to take effective measures to improve teaching and learning environment of this University.