J Educ Eval Health Prof.  2019;16:9. 10.3352/jeehp.2019.16.9.

Perceptions of the educational environment among undergraduate physical therapy students in a competency-based curriculum at the University of Chile

• Antúnez-Riveros MA
• Aguirre-Jerez M
• Saldaña AB
• Peralta-Camposano J
• Bahillo MPRdG

• KMID: 2502154
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2019.16.9

Abstract

Purpose
This study aimed to assess the educational environment (EE) among students in a physical therapy undergraduate program, to identify patterns in EE perceptions among the students by year, and to determine issues that should be addressed.
Methods
The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used to explore the relationships among the total mean score, subscales, and items in a competency-based curriculum in the physical therapy program at the University of Chile. The DREEM questionnaire was filled out by 166 of 244 students (68.03%), of whom 56.6% were men and 43.4% were women, with 75.9% between 19 and 23 years of age.
Results
The total mean score (120.9/200) indicated that the EE was perceived as ‘more positive than negative.’ There were significant differences (P<0.05) between first-year students (113.41), who reported the lowest total mean score, and fourth-year students (126.60), who had the highest total mean score. Students rated their EE favorably on each subscale except social self-perceptions, which second-year students rated as ‘not too bad,’ and for which first-, third-, and fourth-year students gave a rating corresponding to ‘not a nice place.’ On the perceptions of teachers subscale, there were significant differences (P<0.05) between first-year students (28.05/44) and fourth-year students (32.24/44) and between second-year students (28.72/44) and fourth-year students (32.24/44). On the academic self-perceptions subscale, there were significant differences (P<0.05) between first-year students (18.12/32) and second-year (21.68/32), third-year (22.33/32), and fourth-year students (21.87/32).
Conclusion
Physical therapy students at the University of Chile had positive perceptions of their EE. First-year students rated the largest number of items as problematic. Improvements are required across the program in the specific subscales mentioned above.

Keyword

Competency-based education; Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure questionnaire; Education environment; Chile

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Adaptation of the model proposed by Palmgren et al. [2] in 2015 to illustrate the relationships among problem areas identified in the study. Modified from Palmgren et al. J Chiropr Educ 2015;29:110-126 [2].

Reference

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