Educational Vitality and Self-efficacy Prediction based on Self-directed Learning of Students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

A Self-directed learning is one of the factors affecting academic keenness and readiness and self-efficacy of students. This study was conducted with the aim of predicting academic vitality and self-efficacy of students based upon self-directed learning in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences.  The present study was a descriptive study of correlation type. The statistical population included 1235 students at medical school in Sari medical school. 297 participants as the sample size were selected through a randomized stratified sampling method and by Krejcy and Morgan tables.  Then, to collect information,  three self-directed learning, academic vitality, and self-efficacy questionnaire were used   that the validity of the questionnaire were estimated with expert opinion, and  the reliability with Cronbach's alpha, 0.91 for self-directed learning, 0.89 academic readinesses, and 0.87 self-efficacies were calculated. Next, data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and multiple regression and SPSS18 software. As a concequence, there was a relationship between self-directed learning (0.5555) and its components (self-control (0.611), self-management (0.540), and willingness to learn (0.447) with academic vitality. In additions, a connection was observed among self-directed learning (0.71) and its components (self-control (0.741), self-management (0.640) and willingness to learn (0.547) with the self-efficacy of medical students of Sari medical school (0.71). The findings also showed that components of self-directed learning were significant predictors (P <0.05) (FF = 36.46) for educational vitality and also valuable predictors (P <0.05) (F = 25.09) for self-efficacy of students.  Considering the results of present study, that self-directed learning had an important role in promoting the academic vitality and self-efficacy of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences students. Hence, it is recommended that workshops should be held to increase student self-directed learning.