The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale: a factor analysis study.
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.
Hoban
J Dennis
JD
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, PO Box 980565, Richmond, VA 232-0565, USA. jdhoban@vcu.edu
Lawson
Sonya R
SR
Mazmanian
Paul E
PE
Best
Al M
AM
Seibel
Hugo R
HR
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