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Comparing student and staff perceptions of the “Educational Climate” in Spanish Dental Schools using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure
Author(s) -
Tomás I.,
Aneiros A.,
CasaresdeCal M. A.,
Quintas V.,
PradaLópez I.,
BalsaCastro C.,
Ceballos L.,
GómezMoreno G.,
Llena C.,
LópezJornet P.,
Machuca M. C.,
Palés J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1600-0579
pISSN - 1396-5883
DOI - 10.1111/eje.12270
Subject(s) - perception , dental education , psychology , atmosphere (unit) , medical education , scale (ratio) , medicine , neuroscience , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Objective To compare the perceptions of students and teachers of the “Educational Climate” ( EC ) in Spanish public dental schools. Methods A group of 1064 students and 354 teachers from six Spanish public dental schools responded to the DREEM questionnaire. This has 50 items grouped into five subscales: perception of learning (Learning); perception of teachers (Teachers); academic self‐perceptions (Academic); perception of the atmosphere in the faculty (Atmosphere); and social self‐perceptions (Social). The DREEM scale provides results for each item, each subscale and the overall EC . Results The EC scores were 123.2 (61.6%) for the students and 134.1 (67.0%) for the teachers ( P <.001). The scores of the students and teachers for the subscales were, respectively: 27.9 (58.1%) and 30.2 (63.0 %) for Learning ( P <.001); 26.8 (60.9%) and 32.6 (74.1%) for Teachers ( P <.001); 20.7 (64.7%) and 20.5 (64.0%) for Academic ( P =.333); 29.9 (62.3%) and 33.7 (70.3%) for Atmosphere ( P <.001); and 17.9 (64.0%) and 16.9 (60.5%) for Social ( P <.001). The students identified six problematic items (12.0 %) compared to only two (4.0 %) highlighted by the teachers. Conclusion The students and teachers considered the EC to be “more positive than negative” in Spanish public dental schools; and the different subscales to be “positive and acceptable.” The teachers did, however, evaluate the EC , and specifically the learning‐teaching process, more positively than their students, identifying fewer problematic educational aspects. Both groups agreed on the need to: improve support systems for students who suffer from stress and reduce teaching based on “factual learning.”