Assessment of Self-directed Learning (SDL) Readiness among Medical and Dental Students, in a Private University

Adult learners have the proven capability of self-directedness when provided with the appropriate learning environment. Self-directedness foster continuing medical education and stimulate medical students to become lifelong learners which is essential to provide evidence-based patient care. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the self-directed learning readiness of students and identify the impact of student-centered teaching strategies on their readiness level. Study Design & Setting: This study was conducted at 2 colleges of Ziauddin University. All students of 1st & 2nd year MBBS and BDS program were included in the study (N=325). This was a cross-sectional study conducted from May-June 2023, at the middle of the Professional Year. Methodology: After taking the informed consent, students were provided with a valid questionnaire, based on a Likertscale, developed by Williamson, to measure students’ readiness for their SDL level. Results: The response rate was 35% (n=114/325), with the majority of participants from the MBBS program (88.5%, n=101) and females (67.5%, n=77). The overall mean SDL readiness score was 234.58 (±23.94). Students form Year 1 and Year 2 both predominantly scored high levels (76.3%) with mean SDL scores of 233.5 (±24.56) and 235.2 (±23.63) respectively. The scores reflected the positive impact of student-centered teaching strategies that are being used in their curriculum. Conclusion: Overall, the study supports the idea that active teaching methods significantly enhance self-directed learning readiness of students. This reinforces the importance of integrating such strategies into medical and dental education curricula to foster lifelong learning and independent knowledge acquisition