Gender based differences in self-directed learning readiness amongst medical students of Pakistan

Objective: To assess gender based difference in readiness for self-directed learning (SDL) amongst medical students of Pakistan. Methodology: This cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among 4001` year medical students from four public medical colleges of all the provinces of Pakistan. A 40 item SDL readiness scale comprising of responses according to 5 point Likert scale was used. Three components of SDL including desire for learning, self-control and self-management were compared, based on gender difference. Results: The total scores and each subscale were compared. No statistically significant difference was observed among total as well as subtotal scores of SDL readiness scale. The detailed analysis showed significant difference in six questions related to self control (three), desire to learn (two) and management (one). Conclusion: There is no gender based difference in readiness for self-directed learning amongst medical students of Pakistan.