title: The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale: a factor analysis study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The practice of medicine demands that its physician practitioners are self-directed, life-long learners. The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) intends to measure adults' readiness to engage in self-directed learning.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study assesses the underlying factor structure of the SDLRS for a sample of entering medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a period of 6 years, 972 first year medical students at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine completed the SDLRS. To summarise the inter-relationships among variables, a principal axis factor analysis with oblique rotation was used on the 58 SDLRS items. A series of confirmatory factor analyses using LISREL 8.54 was performed to further examine the measurement model underlying the SDLRS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 4-factor confirmatory model representing 4 correlated substantive factors and a reverse coding method factor fits these data well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical educators should hold limited expectations of the SDLRS to measure medical students' readiness to engage in self-directed learning. The definitions and theoretical assumptions that inform readiness for self-directed learning should be reconsidered. Alternative approaches to studying self-directed learning should be explored.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, PO Box 980565, Richmond, VA 232-0565, USA. jdhoban@vcu.edu
authors.forename: J Dennis
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hoban
authors.forename: Sonya R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Mazmanian
authors.forename: Al M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Hugo R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Seibel
mesh_terms: D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology