Assessing the learning environment of a faculty: psychometric validation of the German version of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure with students and teachers.
OBJECTIVE
The teachers' perspectives of the educational environment have as yet only been sparsely considered. This study aimed at validating the first German version of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) from the points of view of both students and teachers.


METHODS
Data from 1119 students and 258 teachers were available for analysis. Psychometric validation included the analysis of homogeneity and discrimination at item level as well as reliability (Cronbach's α), criterion and construct validity at test level. Effect sizes were calculated and the independent samples t-test was used for statistical inference testing of mean differences between two groups.


RESULTS
Item characteristics were satisfactory in both samples. Reliability was high with α = 0.92 (students) and 0.94 (teachers), respectively. Factor analyses revealed five dimensions which slightly diverged from the five subscales postulated by the DREEM authors though. The environment was evaluated significantly (p < 0.001) more positively by teachers (M = 117.63) than by students (M = 109.75). Further significant differences were observed with regard to gender, mother language, stage of studies and previous professional training among others.


CONCLUSIONS
With convincing psychometric properties at item and test levels, the suitability of DREEM not only for students but also for teachers to assess the educational environment has been demonstrated.
Department for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Rheumatology, Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf, Germany. rotthoff@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
Thomas
T
Rotthoff
Martin S
MS
Ostapczuk
Judith
J
De Bruin
Ulrich
U
Decking
Matthias
M
Schneider
Stefanie
S
Ritz-Timme
D000328:Adult; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult