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 relation-ship. Methods: a cross-sectional correlational descriptive study was conducted to survey 277 Saudi nursing students enrolled in the bachelor program at 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 the 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 most of the respondents’ reported levels of readiness ranged between low and moderate 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.
