Educational environment in undergraduate anesthesia technology education: a cross-sectional evaluation using a modified Dundee ready educational environment measure in the United Arab Emirates

The educational environment is a fundamental determinant of student learning, academic achievement, professional identity formation, and psychological well-being in health professions education. Positive educational environments have been associated with enhanced motivation, academic performance, and learner satisfaction, whereas unfavorable environments may contribute to stress, burnout, and reduced educational outcomes. Although the educational environment has been extensively investigated in medicine, nursing, and allied health disciplines using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), evidence from anesthesia technology programs remains scarce, particularly within the Gulf region. Understanding students’ perceptions of their educational environment is essential for informing curriculum development, quality assurance initiatives, and student support strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the educational environment perceived by undergraduate anesthesia technology students at Gulf Medical University, United Arab Emirates, and to explore associations between perception scores and selected demographic and academic characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate anesthesia technology students enrolled at Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates. Data were collected using a modified 17-item DREEM questionnaire developed to represent the five original DREEM domains while reducing respondent burden: Student Perception of Learning, Student Perception of Teachers, Student Academic Self-Perception, Student Perception of Atmosphere, and Student Social Self-Perception. Following data cleaning and duplicate removal, responses from 100 students were included in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and educational environment scores. Inferential analyses included independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations, Spearman rank-order correlations, and reliability testing using Cronbach’s alpha. The mean age of participants was 20.51 years, and females constituted 83% of the sample. The overall modified DREEM score was 45.08 out of a maximum score of 68 (SD = 9.77), indicating an educational environment perceived as more positive than negative. Student Academic Self-Perception demonstrated the highest mean item score, while Student Social Self-Perception represented the weakest domain. The highest-rated items related to curriculum relevance, opportunities for student questioning, and focused teaching practices. The lowest-rated items concerned institutional support for stressed students, effective use of teaching time, and patient-centered teaching practices. No statistically significant differences in overall educational environment scores were observed across gender or academic-year groups. Significant differences according to GPA category were identified for Academic Self-Perception and Perception of Atmosphere; however, no GPA-related differences were observed in overall educational environment scores. The overall modified DREEM instrument demonstrated good internal consistency; however, several shortened subscales showed lower reliability, and therefore domain-level findings should be interpreted cautiously. Students generally perceived the educational environment within the anesthesia technology program positively. Strengths included curriculum relevance, academic confidence, and teaching quality. Nevertheless, student well-being support systems and aspects of the learning atmosphere represent areas for further improvement. Although the overall educational environment was assessed reliably, interpretations of individual domain scores should be considered exploratory pending further psychometric validation of the modified instrument. Educational leaders should prioritize interventions that target student support, mentoring, and the enhancement of the learning environment to optimize educational outcomes further.