Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Korean Version of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM).

Internationally, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is being used to evaluate and compare students' awareness regarding medical education environment. This study aimed to adapt DREEM into Korean, to evaluate the reliability and validity, and to compare its structure to the original DREEM structure. The DREEM was translated using 6 steps which were suggested in cross-cultural adaptation protocols: translation, synthesis, back translation, expert committee review, pilot test, and psychometric study (N = 451). We performed confirmatory factor analysis including basic analysis. For evaluating the original model's goodness of fit with the acquired dataset, model fit indices and construct validity were discussed. The Korean version was completed upon through cross-cultural adaptation protocols. Statistical analysis with 451 data sets showed that the root mean square error of approximation = 0.06, goodness-of-fit index = 0.75, and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.73. Almost construct reliabilities were all over 0.707. Except for just one pair, all squares of correlation coefficients were greater than the corresponding average variance extracted. In conclusion, we developed the Korean version of DREEM. Although the original 5-factor structure was acceptable, low convergent and discriminant validity indices suggested that further studies for the Korean environment are necessary for the respecified or modified factor structures.

Perception Study of Traditional Korean Medical Students on the Medical Education Using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure.

Background. In Korea, a few studies regarding traditional Korean medicine (TKM) education have been conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate students' perceptions regarding TKM education in Korea and compare them with those of other countries using a quantitative scale, Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). Materials and Methods. We conducted a survey using DREEM in a TKM college. Totally, 325 students responded to this survey and we performed the descriptive statistics of scores in all items, subscales, and total. Additionally, subgroup comparisons according to gender, school year, and academic achievement were analyzed. Results. Mean overall DREEM score was 94.65 out of 200, which is relatively low compared to previous studies. Particularly, perceptions regarding subscales of learning, atmosphere, and self-perceptions were interpreted as problematic. There was no statistically significant difference between genders in spite of some differences among groups based on school year or academic achievement. Conclusions. We could examine students' perceptions regarding TKM education at a TKM college using DREEM for which validity and reliability were verified. TKM education was perceived relatively poor, but these quantitative indicators suggested which parts of education need improvement. We expect DREEM to be used widely in TKM or traditional medical education field.