Version 1
: Received: 3 October 2023 / Approved: 4 October 2023 / Online: 4 October 2023 (10:21:22 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 2 November 2023 / Approved: 3 November 2023 / Online: 3 November 2023 (10:09:54 CET)
Version 3
: Received: 14 November 2023 / Approved: 14 November 2023 / Online: 14 November 2023 (15:29:13 CET)
Alkorashy, H.A.; Alotaibi, H.A. Locus of Control and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia. Nurs. Rep.2023, 13, 1658-1670.
Alkorashy, H.A.; Alotaibi, H.A. Locus of Control and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia. Nurs. Rep. 2023, 13, 1658-1670.
Alkorashy, H.A.; Alotaibi, H.A. Locus of Control and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia. Nurs. Rep.2023, 13, 1658-1670.
Alkorashy, H.A.; Alotaibi, H.A. Locus of Control and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia. Nurs. Rep. 2023, 13, 1658-1670.
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused one of the worst global pandemics in recent decades. It has disrupted education systems worldwide, leading to a forced shift from traditional face-to-face to blended or fully distanced learning, requiring a higher level of student readiness for self-directed learning (SDL) and a more internal locus of control (LOC). Objective: This study explored the relationship between locus of control and level of readiness for SDL among Saudi nursing students and whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this relationship. Methods: a cross-sectional correlational descriptive study was conducted to survey 277 Saudi nursing students enrolled in the bachelor program in one of the reputable universities in Saudi Arabia. An E-questionnaire containing two scales, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education, and the Locus of Control Scale, was used to collect data in addition to the selected participants’ characteristics. Results: Nursing students had a moderate-to-low level of readiness for SDL (mean = 144.0), and the majority had an external LOC. There was a significant association between locus of control and level of readiness for self-directed learning (r = 0.19*, p = 0.001), and the internal locus of control was more significantly associated with self-directed learning (r = 0.22*, p = 0.0001) than with external locus of control. Conclusion: The study findings indicate a propensity of respondents towards an external locus of control, whereas the majority of the respondents reported low to moderate levels of readiness across all dimensions of self-directed learning. This study was not registered.
Keywords
locus of control; self-directed learning readiness; nursing students; Saudi Arabia; undergraduates; COVID-19 pandemic
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Nursing
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Commenter: Hanan Alkorashy
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author