A correlational study of self-directed learning readiness and learning activity preference for continuing medical education among family physicians

This quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational study sought to determine whether a relationship exists between family physicians' levels of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and their preferences for continuing medical education (CME) activities. The study also sought to determine whether years in clinical practice or size of clinical practice influenced their choices of CME activities. The study used Guglielmino's (1977) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS). The collection of data was initiated through an e-mail to the potential participants that explained the research project, solicited their voluntary participation, provided informed consent, and gave the participant password-protected access to a secure site where they were able to take the SDLRS Survey and answer the demographic questions. The general linear model was originally proposed to analyze the data to determine the direction and strength of the relationships between the physicians' CME activity preferences and their SDLRS scores while accounting for the influence of demographic characteristics. However, the data necessitated the use of ordinal logistic regression to quantify the odds of a higher ordered preference category (preference for a particular CME activity) changing (choosing a 5 vs. choosing a 4 or a 3) as an individual's SDLR score increased. The findings reveal that family physicians are more self-directed than the general public. It is hoped that the information contained in this study will lead to future research on the self-directedness of family physicians and the ways in which self-directedness influences their choices of CME.