Associations between baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of educational environment and HESI scores and GPA

Background: Students' perceptions of their educational environment have been found to be related to their approaches to learning and learning outcomes. Educational environment is just beginning to be researched in nursing education with the vast majority of studies focusing on the clinical educational environment. Perception of educational environment has been shown to influence student implementation of a specific learning style and influences educational outcomes such as program completion and GPA. There is a need for sound research that explores the relationship, if any, between perceptions of environment and outcomes.

Objective: To explore the relationship between baccalaureate nursing student (BSN) perception of educational environment (SPEE) and objective learning outcomes.

Design: Retrospective correlational descriptive study.

Setting: Private School of Nursing in the Southwest.

Participants: Convenience sample of 62 graduating baccalaureate students.

Methods: All graduating BSN students were invited to complete the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) through the online survey application Qualtrics. A total of 62 students completed the DREEM survey. These results were compared with each student's GPA and HESI score.

Results: A total of 62 students completed the survey for an overall response rate of 57%. There was no correlation between total SPEE and nursing grade point average (NGPA) or HESI exit scores.

Conclusions: Based on this study at this institution, it appears that students' performance was not influenced by SPEE. One of the major implications of this study is the possibility that an "acceptable" SPEE (one that is neither exceptional nor terrible) may not significantly influence student outcomes. Exploring this relationship has theoretical as well as practical implications as educators seek to determine the effectiveness of educational interventions. Student perception of learning environment is measured in various ways at the majority of institutions. It has been assumed that an educational environment that is ranked high by students result in increased learning. However, as the science of nursing education advances, educators need to determine if and how these perceptions relate to actual learning outcomes. As academicians, we need to be concerned with the relationship between learning outcomes and environment in order to create the most effective learning environment.