Abstract
Objective: To assess the undergraduate medical students’ perceptions regarding educational environments using DREEM across four private medical colleges in Islamabad.
Methodology: Four hundred and two undergraduate medical students participated in the cross-sectional study. The DREEM questionnaire was administered through Google Forms. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 27. Means and standard deviations were calculated for each domain and for the total DREEM score. The inter-domain correlation was assessed.
Results: The cumulative mean DREEM score was 124 ± 26.35, interpreted as “more positive than negative” for all medical colleges. Pearson correlation test demonstrated a strong correlation between the domains (SPL, SPA, SPT, ASP, SSP), hence indicating that all DREEM domains are strongly interrelated.
Conclusion: All four private medical colleges had a positive learning environment. Targeted faculty development programs, technology enhancement, and more sound student support systems are vital to further improve the learning environments across medical colleges.
Keywords: Medical Education, Undergraduate, Medical Students, Health Sciences.
References
Ali M, Wahab IA, Huri HZ, Yusoff MS. Personalised learning in higher education for health sciences: a scoping review. BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jul 1;25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07565-1
Ellaway R, Masters K. AMEE Guide 32: e-Learning in medical education Part 1: Learning, teaching and assessment. Med Teach. 2008 Jan;30(5):455–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590802108331
Ashraf MA, Tsegay SM, Gull N, Saeed M, Dawood H. The role of blended learning in improving medical students’ academic performance: evidence from Pakistan. Front Med. 2024 Dec 17;11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1425659
Roff S, McAleer S, Harden RM, Al-Qahtani M, Ahmed AU, Deza H, et al. Development and validation of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Med Teach. 1997 Jan;19(4):295–9. https://doi.org/10.3109/014215909034208
Roff S. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)—a generic instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of undergraduate health professions curricula. Med Teach. 2005 Jun;27(4):322–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590500151054
Genn JM. AMEE Medical Education Guide No. 23 (Part 1): Curriculum, environment, climate, quality and change in medical education–a unifying perspective. Med Teach. 2001 Jan;23(4):337–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590120063330
Jaleel A, Namoos K, Asim S, Afzal K, Barkat H, Afzal A, et al. Learning environment of basic health sciences in private (integrated) versus public (traditional curriculum) medical schools during COVID-19. Pak J Med Dent. 2024 May 16;11(1):94-100. https://doi.org/10.36283/PJMD11-1/016
Kausar U, Noor MSA, Sohail MU, Rana MH. Evaluation of integrated modular & traditional curriculum learning environment in medical education. J Univ Med Dent Coll. 2024 Nov 27;15(4). https://doi.org/10.37723/jumdc.v15i4.1061
Saleem M, Khan Z. Healthcare simulation: an effective way of learning in health care. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(4):1185–90. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.4.7145
Delungahawatta T, Dunne SS, Hyde S, Halpenny L, McGrath D, O’Regan A, et al. Advances in e-learning in undergraduate clinical medicine: a systematic review. BMC Med Educ. 2022 Oct 7;22(1):[Missing metadata]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03773-1
Aslam K, Bari A, Ayub A. Students’ perception about assessment environment of University of Lahore-Dental school: a cross-sectional survey. J Pak Med Assoc. 2019:1. https://doi.org/10.5455/JPMA.293664
Rezayi S, Amanollahi A, Shahmoradi L, Rezaei N, Katigari MR, Zolfaghari M, et al. Effects of technology-based educational tools on nursing learning outcomes in intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med Educ. 2022 Dec 3;22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03810-z
Zuberi BF, Shaikh MA, Zuberi FF, Rasheed T, Nawaz Z. Medical students’ perceptions at Dow University of Health Sciences using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure Inventory. Pak J Med Sci. 2024 Feb 6;40(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.4.7712
Zafar A, Asghar S, Fahim MF. A DREEM based appraisal of educational environment at dental colleges: comparing Pakistan and Turkey. J Pak Dent Assoc. 2020 Jul 21;29(3):135–9. https://doi.org/10.25301/JPDA.293.135
Fatima SH, Naseem S, Shah SSH, Fatima SS. Evaluation of environment through DREEM by medical students with preferred learning styles in a private medical college of Pakistan. Prof Med J. 2023 Mar 1;30(3):383–91. https://doi.org/10.29309/TPMJ/2023.30.03.7298
Hassan MM, Aijaz A. Perceptions of students about the educational environment in Gomal Medical College Dera Ismail Khan. Health Prof Educ J. 2022 Dec 31;5(2):19–21. https://doi.org/10.53708/hpej.v5i2.1278
Esquerda M, Garcia-Estañ J, Ruiz-Rosales A, Garcia-Abajo JM, Millan J. Relationship between academic climate and burnout in Spanish medical schools. Educ Med. 2024 Nov;25(6):100955. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04811-2
Tufail S, Khan JS, Baqai S, Mustafa N. Perceptions of continuing medical education participants regarding improvement of patient care through continuing medical education activities in Lahore district. Pak Armed Forces Med J. 2021 Aug 27;71(4):1413–9. https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v71i4.3896

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nayyab Zehra, Raima Siddiqui, Maria Mughal, Hina Umair, Ahmed Hassaan Malik

