Self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) among medical students: a questionnaire-based study from an Indian medical school

Self-directed learning (SDL) prepares medical students for life-long learning which is required to keep up with the continuous advances in medicine and technology. Most of the medical schools in India adopt teacher-driven learning. This prompted us to assess the readiness for SDL among undergraduate medical students in different years of study and to find out if there is any correlation with academic performance. The newly developed 40-item 3-factor Fisher self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) that has been construct and content validated among health-care students was used. Cronbach’s alpha co-efficient was >0.8. The mean and the median SDLRS scores (n=440) were 144.6 (SD=17.4) and 146 respectively. Overall, 38% scored above 150 implying high readiness for SDL. Scores were higher among girls compared to boys (146.7 and 141.35; p=0.002); among first (145.2) and final year students (146.3) compared to other year students (144.4 and 142.1); and for self-control (56.9) and desire for learning (45) attributes compared to self-management (42.8). Though the percentage marks in exams were higher among high readiness group (SDLRS score >150) the difference was not statistically significant implying that SDLRS is related to the learning process whereas exams assess content knowledge. However, other tools such as 360 degree feedback could assess the correlation better.