Relationship between individual educational motivation and perception of the educational environment in dentistry students at the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University in two cycles of their training: preclinical and clinical

The educational environment comprises various physical, social, pedagogical, and emotional
factors that directly impact the teaching and learning processes. The quality of the teaching
staff, availability of resources, institutional environment, and emotional climate influence
students' well-being and academic performance. A positive environment promotes proactive
attitudes toward learning and improves motivation. Educational motivation refers to internal
(intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) factors that drive students to commit to learning. These
factors are manifested through greater effort, persistence, and academic success. This study
aimed to determine the relationship between educational motivation and perception of the
educational environment among dental students at the Universidad Nacional Pedro
Henríquez Ureña during two training cycles: preclinical and clinical. To this end, 177 students
who met the established inclusion criteria were surveyed. The results revealed that students
in the clinical cycle who reported a more favorable perception of the educational environment
in all the evaluated dimensions (learning, teachers, and the academic and social
environments) presented increased levels of educational motivation by the end of the cycle
(mean = 88; 13% with high motivation).