Adaptação e avaliação das propriedades psicométricas da versão brasileira do questionário Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) em estudantes de graduação multirraciais/étnicos de regiões de baixa renda

Abstract

Introduction: The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) is a validated tool for assessing the learning environment in exclusively health-related courses. With its comprehensive features, the DREEM provides valuable insights into students' perceptions across various domains of the learning environment, ranging from social relationships to learner expectations. Objective: This study aimed to adapt and test the psychometric properties of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire for evaluating the learning environment in academic contexts beyond the health sciences, specifically among multiracial/ethnic students from low- income regions. Methodology: We conducted a methodological validity study at two research centers, one in the state of Maranhão and the other in the state of Tocantins. We administered an online version of the questionnaire to at least 386 university students in regions with Gini indices of 0.56 and 0.43. Participants were in their 1st and 2nd semesters, aged over 17, enrolled in the participating institutions, and had signed the Free and Informed Consent Form (ICF) and/or Informed Assent and Consent Term (IACT). The adapted university environment questionnaire consisted of 50 items divided into 5 domains: perception of learning, perception of teachers (modified from the original “perception of preceptors”), perception of academic outcomes, perception of the general environment, and perception of social relationships. Additionally, we applied the Brief Symptom Inventory, with 18 items (BSI-18), a tool for assessing psychological distress in 3 domains: Somatization, Depression, and Anxiety. To test reliability, we used Cronbach's alpha test, while structural validity was verified via confirmatory factor analysis in a structural equation modeling (SEM), considering values of Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI). We tested convergent validity via Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: In the reliability analysis, the adapted version of the DREEM showed acceptable internal consistency (alpha > 0.70) for all items, domains, and overall score. Our findings indicated acceptable structural coefficients (TLI = 0.751, CFI = 0.766, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.064) for the adapted DREEM questionnaire. We also observed convergence between the DREEM and BSI-18, with a negative correlation (rho = -0.32) between the two global scores. Conclusion: The adapted version of the DREEM demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties. The online format questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the learning environment among multiracial/ethnic university students from low-income regions.