Elementary Education Students’ Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Its Association with Their Academic Achievement: A Study in the Context of Pakistan

In Pakistan, an elementary school is, typically, a child’s first experience of the real world. Training elementary school teachers in such a way that they may be able to support and develop their young charges is vital. Self-directed learning is a characteristic of independent learners necessary for survival in the 21st century. The aim of this study was to examine the association of elementary education students’ self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) with their academic achievement. A quantitative paradigm and cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. The master of elementary and early childhood education students (session 2016-2018 &2017-2019) of the Institute of Education and Research, the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan made up the population of the study. The researchers employed total population sampling. A modified SDLI, developed by Su-Fen Cheng, Chien-Lin Kuo, Kuan-Chia Lin, and Jane Lee-Hsieh (2009), was used to gather data about SDLR. The C.G.P.A of the respondents was used as a gage for their academic achievement. Analysis of the data revealed that the respondents’ SDLR was moderately high and no gender disparity exists based on gender. However, a correlation between the two variables of the study does exist (r = .234, p = .001). Moreover, regression analysis showed that academic achievement can be predicted by SDLR levels (R2 = .055, F = (1, 185) = 10.672, p = .001) Keywords: self-directed learning readiness (SDLR),academic achievement, elementary education students &nbsp