Perception of Learning Environment Among Undergraduate Medical Students at University of Jos Using Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale.

Abstract

Background: The learning environment (LE) plays a crucial role in the performance and training of medical students. Different tools have been used to assess the LE with various conclusions. However, the John Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) which is a relatively newer scale is more specific, less cumbersome to administer, and has a wider scope. The study aims to assess the perception of the LE of undergraduate medical students in a Nigerian institution using the JHLES.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study carried out on clinical medical students of the College of Health Sciences, University of Jos. A self-administered questionnaire containing socio-demographic data and the 28 JHLES questions was used. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25.0. The Overall mean JHLES Score was obtained by calculating the average of the JHLES scores attained by all participants.

Results: A total of 400 clinical medical students were enrolled and a mean JHLES Score of 77.90 (±14.03) was obtained. The males were found to have statistically significantly higher mean JHLES scores than the females, particularly in the domain of Faculty relationships, Academic climate, and Mentoring. The domain of "community of peers" had the highest ratings while "mentoring" and "meaningful engagement" recorded the least scores.

Conclusion: The clinical medical students had a fair perception of their LE. The areas of strength should be encouraged while faculty may enact programs that will improve the domains with low scores to ultimately make better the learning environment and training of these future doctors.