The purpose of this study was to determine the level of self-directed learning readiness among undergraduate students at Saudi Electronic University in Saudi Arabia. This study also investigated whether there were relationships between the level of self-directed learning readiness and selected demographic variables such as gender, college, and age in the sample of undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia. This research utilized a quantitative design. The Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS), which was developed by Guglielmino, was utilized to measure the level of self-directed learning readiness among undergraduate students at Saudi Electronic University on the Riyadh campus. A total of 203 undergraduate students completed the SDLRS questionnaire. Results were that the mean score of SDLRS among undergraduate students at Saudi Electronic University in Riyadh campus included 64 (32.52%) were students with below average 58-201 scores; 71 (34.98%) students with average 202-226 scores; and 68 (33.50%) were students with above average 227-290 scores. age. However, there was a significant difference between the colleges. The results of the Tukey post-hoc test indicated that significant differences existed between the Sciences and Theoretical Studies College students and the Administration and Finance College and Computation and Information College students. The Sciences and Theoretical Studies College scored significantly lower than the other two colleges.

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-directed learning readiness in executive fire officers in relation to the independent variables of personality type, educational attainment, and professional designation. This research utilized a quantitative design. This study utilized the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) with a sample of 250 professional firefighters. The total sample was divided equally between executive-level fire officers and firefighters at 125 each from professional departments in the Southeastern United States. Results were that the mean SDLRS score for the executive-level fire officers was 233.7 and significantly higher than the means of both the firefighters (221.6) and the adult population norm (214). Overall, results also found that the frequency of representation across the eight dominant functions of the MBTI were significantly different between the executive fire officer group and both the firefighter and the MBTI male norm group. However, only extroverted-sensors had a significant difference between the executive fire officers and the firefighters and only extroverted-thinkers had significant difference between executive fire officers and the reported male norm, respectively. Similarly, the executive fire officer sample was compared to a sample of top public managers and found that there were no differences in the representativeness of the two samples. Overall, there were no substantive differences in representativeness of dominant functions between groups. Results indicated significant relationships between education, personality type, and the dependent variable SDLRS scores. The model that was developed explained 15.4% of the variability in SDLRS scores with significant positive correlations for two categories of educational attainment (undergraduate, graduate) and four categories of dominant functions of personality type (ES, EN, ET, and IN). When examining the same model exclusively for executive fire officers, the model explained 9.5% of the variability in SDLRS scores utilizing significant positive correlations for personality type for three categories of dominant function; IN, EN, and ET, respectively. Overall, the results of this study supported the theoretical construct that a high degree of self-directedness in learning was present at the executive fire officer level.

Rapid scientific and technological advances in health care mean that nurses need to keep learning and engage in professional education so that they can continue to provide safe and quality care. Education programs which prepare nurses for practice as a registered nurse have a vital role to play in ensuring that graduates are self-directed in responding to the need for ongoing learning throughout their professional career. In many countries, improving students’ readiness for self-directed learning has thus gained increasing recognition as being an important goal of nursing education programs. This level of interest in developing self-directedness in learning is evident in many policy documents and research in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing self-directed learning readiness amongst Taiwanese nursing students. A conceptual framework adopted from Biggs’s ‘3P model of teaching and learning’ was constructed to guide this study’s investigation. This study employed a two-staged mixed-method design to obtain a better understanding of Taiwanese students’ experience of SDL in undergraduate nursing programs. Stage one of the present study was a qualitative approach using semi-structured interview to explore students’ experiences with learning activities which they perceived to be self-directed in their undergraduate programs. Eight students were interviewed. Findings from this stage reveal that participants perceived a shift in teaching and learning styles between their previous nursing programs and the university. The more frequent use of student-directed learning activities, in which students were encouraged to be active and to take responsibility for their learning tasks, was one of the changes in teaching and learning approaches perceived by participants. Participants further suggested a number of factors that influenced the outcomes of these learning activities, including teacher-student interaction, facilitation process and learning resources. Stage two of this study used a quantitative approach consisting of two phases: instrument pilot testing and a cross-sectional survey. In the first phase, the instruments were translated into Chinese through a rigorous translation process and tested with a convenience sample of nursing students in Taiwan. Results indicated the translated instruments were reliable and stable. The second phase, a cross-sectional survey, was conducted to examine the conceptual framework of this study. A total of 369 undergraduate nursing students completed the questionnaire. Results of data analysis provides support for the conceptual framework proposed for this study, suggesting that students’ achievement goals and their perceptions of the learning environment significantly influence their adoption of learning approaches and the development of SDL readiness. Based on the results, this study provides practical implications that nurse educators may adopt to enhance students’ SDL readiness. This study also provides theoretical implications and recommendations for future research. It is envisaged that these recommendations may help future researchers focus their research design and further understandings of how to help students develop their ability to become self-directed learners.