Medical and Dental Students' Perceptions of the Learning Environment during Anatomic Pathology Placement at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Background: The educational environment is an important factor in nurturing students' learning. Students' experiences of the climate of their learning environment positively correlate with their academic success, achievements and satisfaction.

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the perceptions of medical and dental students about their learning environment during anatomical pathology clinical placement.

Methodology: A prospective, cross-sectional study using a guided self-administered Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurement (DREEM) questionnaire was conducted among fourth year medical and fifth-year dental students on anatomical pathology placement at the College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. One hundred and eleven of 118 students participated in the study.

Results: The age range was 19-35 years. The majority of the students were males ( n= 80, 72.1%). The overall mean score was 115.19 ± 25.6 (maximum obtainable total score = 200), indicating that the students perceived their learning environment as more positive than negative. The mean score for each subscale of the DREEM instrument was: 29.24/48 (60.9%) for perception of learning; 25.67/44 (58.3%) for perception of teaching; 20.89/32 (65.3%) for academic self-perception; 25.61/48(53.4%) for perception of the atmosphere of learning; and 13.52/28 (48.3%) social self-perception. No statistically significant difference was found by sex, age group, and course of study for each DREEM domain.

Conclusion: Students' perception regarding the learning environment for anatomical pathology in the focal university shows the need for improvement across various domains. However, academic self-perception and social self-perception are the areas of greatest need.