Abstract
Introduction: Self-directed learning (SDL) is the most important factor in the future success of students in medical schools. In self-directed learning, each student takes responsibility for his/ her own learning activities. The main purpose of this study was first to determine students’ most common learning problems and then familiarize them with the concept of self-directed learning in a teaching workshop. Teaching emphasized SDL skills and processes.
Methods: This study used a pre-post interventional design and was conducted in Shiraz Medical School. The first step of the study was a self-administrated questionnaire to investigate the students’ study problems and in the second step all first year medical students (90 students) were involved in a teaching workshop. It is worth mentioning that inclusion criteria of the study included participants’ willingness to participate in the study, and exclusion criteria included unwillingness of participants to continue the study or not completing the questionnaires. Descriptive data analysis was performed by SPSS version 18.
Results: The findings showed that the most important study problem was related to the amount of materials and content, according to 68 students (75.8%), and teaching SDL skills could increase their motivation to learn, according to 83 students (92%).
Conclusion: Teaching SDL skills to students can motivate their willingness to learn and could be used as a strategic approach to teaching. It seems universities should invest on students’ learning skills.