Readiness for self-directed learning among undergraduate medical students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during COVID-19, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: The field of medical sciences has continuously been changing and evolving rapidly pertaining to the newly introduced practices and guidelines according to the principles of evidence-based medicine. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for the healthcare practitioners to keep themselves updated and regulated through self-directed learning. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the readiness of self-directed learning among undergraduate medical students. A total of 824 students participated both from public and private medical colleges of KPK. A self-reported validated SRSSDL scale was used to obtain data. The perception of public and private medical colleges students was compared and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Differences in SDL mean scores of student groups were analyzed through independent sample t-test for groups having two categories (e.g. gender, medical college setting etc.). Mean scores of all the five academic years were compared using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The levels of SDL readiness (e.g. good, average, poor) were cross tabulated with gender, medical college setting and academic years categories by using Chi-square test. the p – value was set at 0.05. Results: The self-rated scale for SDL readiness among undergraduate medical students showed a mean score of 226.91 ± 30.074 (Minimum score = 81, Maximum score = 300) with a range of 219. On the whole, among 824 students, 61.3% of students reported good readiness for self-directed learning, 38.2% average readiness. Students enrolled in private medical colleges were more likely to report good readiness for SDL (58.4%) compared to those enrolled in public sector medical colleges (41.6%). Conclusion: The findings of this vast survey suggest that overall undergraduate medical students are ready for self-directed learning in their prevailing circumstances at undergraduate medical education. It also finds that students enrolled in private medical colleges are more likely to be ready for self-directed learning than those studying in public medical colleges. However, further research with qualitative analysis and longitudnal designs is recomended to explore factors promoting or preventing self directed learning.