Perception of the learning environment among the students in a nursing college in Eastern Nepal

Background Learning environment is an important base for learning processes of students and for preferences of future workplaces. It is considered as an essential factor in determining the success of an effective curriculum and the students' academic achievements. This study attempts to assess the perception of learning environment among the nursing students. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to conduct the study among 122 nursing students studying at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Science. Data were collected following total enumerative sampling method using a self-administered questionnaire. Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory tool was used to assess the perception of learning environment. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) was used to describe the demographic and other related variables. One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to find out the difference in the overall scale score and its subscales across the selected socio-demographic variables (age, ethnicity, residence, year of enrollment) of the respondents. Results The mean age of the students was 21 +/- 1.46 years. Majority of the students were from Province no. 1 (57.4%) and largely from Sunsari district (25.4%). First year students were found to be more satisfied (68.23%) with the educational environment (136.45 +/- 16.93) compared to student of other years. Academic self-perception (21.94 +/- 3.42) was the highest scoring subscale (68.57%) while the social self-perception (16.43 +/- 2.96) was the lowest (58.66%). The overall DREEM score (131.25 +/- 15.82 out of 200) indicated that perception of learning environment among the students was positive. Despite overall positive perception, students perceived that the teachers were authoritative and there is lack of good support system for the students at the time of stress. The total DREEM score varied significantly between the years of enrollment (p < 0.05). Conclusion The current study showed positive perception of learning environment which varied significantly according to the year of enrollment. However improvements are required across all the five domains for the high quality educational environment. Future qualitative studies are recommended to confirm and to have in-depth understanding of this finding.