Psychometric Properties of Creative Self-Efficacy Inventory Among Distinguished Students in Saudi Arabian Universities.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of Abbott's Creative Self-Efficacy inventory. Saudi honors students (157 men vs. 163 women) participated. These students are undergraduates (M age = 19.5 year, SD = 1.9) who complete 30 credit hours with a grade point average of no less than 4.5 out of 5. The results showed that the internal consistency (α = .87) and the test-retest reliabilities (r = .73) were satisfactory. The study sample was separated into two subsamples. The data from the first subsample (n = 60) were used to conduct an exploratory factor analysis, whereas the data from the second subsample (n = 260) were used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that creative self-efficacy was not a unidimensional construct but consisted of two factors labeled "creative thinking self-efficacy" and "creative performance self-efficacy." As expected, this two-factor model fit the data adequately, supporting prior research that treated creative self-efficacy as multidimensional construct.

The learning environment as a mediating variable between self-directed learning readiness and academic performance of a sample of saudi nursing and medical emergency students.

BACKGROUND: There has been some ground-breaking research on self-directed learning (SDL) in nursing education which reveals the superiority of SDL to traditional learning methods in terms of students' academic performance and the development of positive attitudes toward the learning process on the part of both students and teachers. OBJECTIVES: The relationship between students' self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and students' academic performance, and the mediating role of students' perceptions of the learning environment needs further investigation. In this study, it is proposed that students' perceptions of their learning environment could enhance their SDLR and thus boost their academic performance (in terms of their GPA). DESIGN: A descriptive design was used to examine the relationships between the domains of SDLR, which are self-management, desire to learn and self-control and students' perceptions of the learning environment (SPLE) and students' GPA. DATA SOURCE: A survey involving 342 [Corrected] Saudi students from nursing and emergency medical services undergraduate programs in King Saud University was used for this research. RESULTS: The results showed that SDLR level positively influenced students' academic performance positively, and that students' perceptions of their learning environment played a significant role in determining their level of SDLR and academic performance. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that nursing and emergency medical services educators provide a supportive learning environment in terms of good teaching, clear goals and standards, appropriate assessment, appropriate workload, and emphasis on independence to encourage students to engage in the process of SDL which can, in turn, enhance their academic performance.