Investigating the Relationship Between Self-Directed Learning
Readiness and Time Management Skills in Turkish
Undergraduate Nursing Students
Nurcan Ertuğ and Saide Faydalı
Abstract
AIMThe aims of this study were to determine self-directed learning and time management skills of undergraduate nursing students and to investigate the relationship between the concepts.
BACKGROUNDThe use of self-directed learning has increased as an educational strategy in recent years.
METHODThis descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 383 undergraduate nursing students in Turkey. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, and Time Management Questionnaire.
RESULTSMean scores were as follows: self-directed learning readiness, 159.12 (SD = 20.8); time management, 87.75 (SD = 12.1). A moderate positive correlation was found between self-directed learning readiness and time management values. Time management scores were 78.42 when self-directed learning readiness was≤149 and 90.82 when self-directed learning readiness was≥ 150, with a statistically significant difference (p = .000).
CONCLUSIONLevel of self-directed learning and academic achievement were higher in students who managed their time well.
KEY WORDSNursing Students in Turkey– Self-Directed Learning Readiness – Time Management
I
n recent years, self-directed learning (SDL) has been attracting increasing attention as an educational strategy in adult educa-tion and higher educaeduca-tion (Levett-Jones, 2005). As people mature, their self-management capacities are expected to increase. As stu-dents must perform and solve problems, it is expected that they will be motivated by internal incentives that require SDL, such as self-esteem, desire for success, growth impulse, satisfaction from suc-cess, the need for knowing certain things, and curiosity. People who use initiative for learning learn more and in a better, in-depth, and more permanent way (Knowles, 1975). SDL involves the four basic dimensions of learning motivation, planning and implementing, self-monitoring, and interpersonal communication (Cheng, Kuo, Lin, & Lee-Hsieh, 2010).For nursing students, it is important to show an interest toward SDL for professional and academic success (Cazan & Schiopca, 2014). Teachers and mentors are facilitators in terms of SDL. Know-ing the needs of students, developKnow-ing learnKnow-ing instructions, declarKnow-ing learning aims, creating creative and supportive learning environments, providing constructive feedback, encouraging self-evaluation and the use of self-reflection, and ensuring opportunities for SDL are neces-sary to encourage SDL (Prabjandee & Inthachot, 2013). A nurse ready for SDL will be open to lifelong learning (Cheng et al., 2010).
SDL helps increase students’ learning motivation, interpersonal com-munication, autonomy, and control of their own learning processes (Cadorin et al., 2015).
Time is an invaluable resource. It cannot be gathered, stored, or repeated (Güçlü, 2001). The inability of university students to use their available time efficiently and effectively may affect learning negatively (Bas¸ak, Uzun, & Arslan, 2008). Time management as a concept has been introduced to help managers organize their time better and use it effectively and productively. Limited time requires strategies to increase performance such as prioritizing, improving performance, choosing tasks that can be achieved, and reducing the loss of time caused by the environment (Grissom, Loeb, & Mitani, 2015).
Bas¸ak et al. (2008) found that the academic success of nursing students with high time management skills was also high. The expec-tation of high academic achievement in students with high SDL read-iness (SDLR; Cazan & Schiopca, 2014) has suggested that time management may be associated with SDLR. The aims of this study were to determine the SDLR and time management skills of under-graduate nursing students and to investigate the relationship be-tween these concepts. Other studies have evaluated the concepts individually in nursing students, but this is the first study to determine the relationship between them. It is hoped that results of this study may contribute to finding ways to improve SDL and time manage-ment skills of nursing student.
METHOD
Settings and Participants
This descriptive, correlational study was conducted in the spring semester of the 2015 to 2016 academic year with nursing students from two universities in Turkey; one was a public university, and the other was supported by a foundation. The target sample was 358
About the Authors Nurcan Ertuğ, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor, School of Nursing, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey. Saide Faydalı, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey. For more information, write to Dr. Ertuğ at ertugnurcan@gmail.com.
The authors have declared no conflict of interest. Copyright © 2018 National League for Nursing
doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000279
