The learning environment as a mediating variable between self-directed learning readiness and academic performance of a sample of saudi nursing and medical emergency students

• Published in: Nurse education today Vol. 36; pp. 249 - 254
• Main Author: Alotaibi, Khaled N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2016; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Academic performance; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dominance; Educational Environment; Emergency Medicine - manpower; Emergency services; Grade Point Average; Health services; Learning; Learning environment; Learning Processes; Learning Readiness; Medical education; Medical students; Nursing; Nursing education; Perceptions; Positive thought; Readiness; Saudi Arabia; Self control; Self-directed learning readiness; Selfdirected learning; Selfmanagement; Student teacher relationship; Students, Medical; Students, Nursing; Teachers; Teaching; Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia; Learning environment; Academic performance; Self-directed learning readiness
• ISSN: 0260-6917; 1532-2793
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2015.11.003

There has been some ground-breaking research on self-directed learning (SDL) in nursing education which reveals the superiority of SDL to traditional learning methods in terms of students' academic performance and the development of positive attitudes toward the learning process on the part of both students and teachers. The relationship between students' self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and students' academic performance, and the mediating role of students' perceptions of the learning environment needs further investigation. In this study, it is proposed that students' perceptions of their learning environment could enhance their SDLR and thus boost their academic performance (in terms of their GPA). A descriptive design was used to examine the relationships between the domains of SDLR, which are self-management, desire to learn and self-control and students' perceptions of the learning environment (SPLE) and students' GPA. A survey involving 142 Saudi students from nursing and emergency medical services undergraduate programs in King Saud University was used for this research. The results showed that SDLR level positively influenced students' academic performance positively, and that students' perceptions of their learning environment played a significant role in determining their level of SDLR and academic performance. It is recommended that nursing and emergency medical services educators provide a supportive learning environment in terms of good teaching, clear goals and standards, appropriate assessment, appropriate workload, and emphasis on independence to encourage students to engage in the process of SDL which can, in turn, enhance their academic performance. •There is a strong link between students' SDLR and academic performance.•Students' perceptions of their learning environment enhance their SDLR and academic performance.•SDLR level influences students' academic performance positively.•Nursing educators can provide students with a supportive learning environment.