Development and preliminary testing of a self-rating instrument to measure self-directed learning ability of nursing students

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Abstract

Background

With the growing trend of preparing students for lifelong learning, the theory of self-directed learning (SDL) has been increasingly applied in the context of higher education. In order to foster lifelong learning, abilities among nursing students, faculties need to have an appropriate instrument to measure the SDL abilities of nursing students.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to develop an instrument to measure the SDL abilities of nursing students and to test the validity and reliability of this instrument.

Methods

This study was conducted in 4 phases. In Phase 1, based on a review of the literature, the researchers developed an instrument to measure SDL. In Phase 2, two rounds of the Delphi study were conducted, to determine the content validity of the instrument. In Phase 3, a convenience sample of 1072 nursing students from two representative schools across three different types of nursing programs were recruited to test the construct validity of the Self-Directed Learning Instrument (SDLI). Finally, in Phase 4, the internal consistency and reliability of the instrument were tested.

Results

The resulting SDLI consists of 20 items across the following four domains: learning motivation, planning and implementing, self-monitoring, and interpersonal, communication. The final model in confirmatory factor analysis revealed that this 20-item SDLI indicated a good fit of the model. The value of Cronbach's α for the total scale was .916 and for the four domains were .801, .861, .785, and .765, respectively.

Conclusions

The SDLI is a valid and reliable instrument for identifying student SDL abilities. It is available to students in nursing and similar medical programs to evaluate their own SDL. This scale may also enable nursing faculty to assess students’ SDL status, design better lesson plans and curricula, and, implement appropriate teaching strategies for nursing students in order to foster the growth of lifelong learning abilities.

Introduction

There is a growing trend of preparing students for lifelong learning. In the field of nursing, students enter the field with extensive professional training, but must also be able to constantly update their knowledge through self-directed learning (SDL). Thus, teaching SDL skills to nursing students helps to prepare them for success in their future careers, and enables them to engage in lifelong learning. To facilitate the development of SDL skills in nursing students, a valid and reliable tool should be made available to nursing schools to enable them to measure the SDL abilities of nursing students. Thus, the purposes of this study were (1) to develop an instrument to measure the SDL ability of nursing students and (2) to test the validity and reliability of this instrument.

According to Knowles (1975), self-directed learning is “a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes” (p. 18). Brookfield (1986) provided a similar definition of SDL. Greg (1993) argued that self-directed learners should have the ability to collaborate with peers, and see peers as learning resources. Cameron (1997) stated that a comprehensive model for SDL should involve self-management, self-monitoring, and motivation. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008) emphasizes the importance of communication skills in developing Baccalaureate programs and suggests that nursing faculty should design learning activities that focus on practicing communication.

Based on the above discussion, the process of SDL covers the following domains: learning needs or learning motivation, learning resources, learning goals, learning plans and activities, learning evaluation, and communication skills.

The researchers used the OVID databases, bibliographies, and article references to search for existing SDL instruments. Only five instruments that directly measured SDL were found. These included Guglielmino's (1977) SDL readiness scale, Deng's (1995) Chinese version of Guglielmino's instrument, Ho's (1998) SDL ability scale, Fisher, King, and Tague's (2001) SDL readiness scale, and Williamson's (2007) self-rating scale of SDL. Descriptions and psychometric indices are presented in Table 1. The components of these SDL tools include: effective learning, learning motivation, active learning, independent learning, creative learning, self-management, desire for learning, self-control, evaluation, and interpersonal skills. The number of items ranged from 14 to 65.

All five tools used an exploratory analysis method, principle component factor analysis and a known-group technique, to support the construct validity of the tool; therefore, different findings were expected. Only the instruments of Fisher et al. (2001) and Williamson (2007) have been tested in nursing students.

Section snippets

Methodology

This project of developing a Self-Directed Learning Instrument (SDLI) was conducted in four phases (Table 2).

Phase I

In the first phase of developing a Self-Directed Learning Instrument, the researchers reviewed the content of the five existing SDL instruments in the literature, counting a total of 238 items across 20 domains. Items with similar meanings and items deemed irrelevant to SDL were then deleted, resulting in 55 retained items across the following 6 domains: learning needs, learning motivation, learning skills, learning action, self-management, and self evaluation.

Phase II

Phase II began with a 55-item

Discussion and conclusion

As shown in the literature, evaluating the psychometric properties of existing SDL tools has produced mixed findings. This is probably because those instruments were developed using exploratory analysis method. By contrast, the SDLI in this study was developed using confirmatory factor analysis, which verified the framework of SDL. In addition, this study is unique because the sample is taken from three different types of nursing programs from two schools, a public college in the north and a

Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to thank Taiwan National Science Council for the grant NSC97-2511-S-227-006 that enabled this study, and our students for their unfailing patience and openness.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Funding: The research funding (NT$ 730,000) was sponsored by Taiwan National Science Council.

Ethical Approval: National Taipei College of Nursing. The reference number is 98A208.

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