SARA REDA A. YONBAWI
DOI: https://doi.org/Background: The educational environment (EE) is a key determinant of nursing students’ academic success, professional identity formation, and psychosocial well-being. In Saudi Arabia, where nursing education has expanded rapidly under Vision 2030 reforms, evaluating institutional climates is essential for continuous quality improvement.
Objectives: To assess undergraduate nursing students’ overall perceptions of their EE at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) and examine domain-specific strengths and challenges to inform strategic improvements aligned with national accreditation reforms.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 415 undergraduate BSN nursing students (2nd to 4th academic years) at the Faculty of Nursing, KAU, Jeddah. Participants completed the validated Arabic version of the 50-item Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) via a secure electronic framework. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0, utilizing Cronbach's alpha for internal reliability, independent t-tests for gender comparisons, and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD post-hoc test for academic year variations.
Results: The overall mean DREEM score was 136.27 ± 27.03 out of 200, indicating an environment perceived as "more positive than negative". The instrument showed excellent overall reliability (α = 0.949). The highest-rated domain was Student’s Perceptions of Learning (SPoL: 32.78 ± 7.36), while Student’s Social Self-Perception scored lowest (SSSP: 16.95 ± 4.35). Prominent program strengths included high faculty knowledge (83.1%) and well-focused, stimulating lessons. Notable weaknesses included perceived elements of authoritarian teaching behavior (61.7%) and factual content overload. While overall scores showed no significant difference by gender (p > 0.05), males reported significantly higher social self-perceptions (p = 0.002). Perceptions improved progressively across academic years, with senior (4th-year) students demonstrating significantly higher scores across nearly all subscales (p ≤ 0.001).
Conclusions: Nursing students at KAU perceive their educational environment favorably. However, targeted interventions are required to address didactic pedagogical styles, transition toward student-centered mentorship, mitigate academic strain, and enhance social support systems to fulfill Vision 2030 educational expectations.
