Examination of the Students' Viewpoints on the Educational Environment Based on the DREEM Model: Dental Students in North Khorasan Province, Iran

Introduction: One of the most important determinants of behavior in the Medical Sciences Universities is the educational environment. The present study aimed to determine the perception of dental students of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, toward the educational environment. Method: All dental students studying at North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, participated in this descriptive analytical study with the census method. The research tool was the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), which is an educational environment standard questionnaire. This questionnaire includes five areas with a maximum total score of 200, and a higher score indicates the most favorable evaluation of that section. After completing the questionnaires, data comparison was performed by employing Mann-Whitney-U, Wilcoxon, and z-test statistics using the SPSS (version 26) software. Results: Among 191 dental students participating in the research, 51.30% were females (n=98) and 48.69% were males (n=93). The overall score of basic and clinical students' views on the educational environment of the dental school was 102.40 out of 200. According to the results of examining students' viewpoints in five areas of the DREEM model, the average scores obtained in the different areas were as follows: educational atmosphere, 25.13/48; teaching methods, 46.24/48; performance of teachers, 22.04/44; own academic performance, 17.04/32; and social status, 13.72/28. Conclusion: The results indicated that the educational environment of the Dental School of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences in Iran was desirable based on the students' viewpoints. Since the continuous monitoring of the educational environment is emphasized in all universities of the world, all dimensions of the educational environment should be considered to improve the educational situation.