Self-Directed Learning develops when students take the initiative for their learning, recognising needs, formulating goals, identifying resources, implementing appropriate strategies and evaluating learning outcomes. This should be seen as a collaborative process between the nurse educator and the learner. At the international level, various instruments have been used to measure Self-Directed Learning abilities (SDL), both in original and in culturally-adapted versions. However, few instruments have been subjected to full validation, and no gold standard reference has been established to date. In addition, few researchers have adopted the established tools to assess the concurrent validity of the emerging new tools. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure the concurrent validity between the Self-Rating Scale of Self-Directed Learning (SRSSDL_Ita) – Italian version and the Self-Directed Learning Instruments (SDLI) in undergraduate nursing students. A concurrent validity study design was conducted in a Bachelor level nursing degree programme located in Italy. All nursing students attending the first, second or third year (n = 428) were the target sample. The SRSSDL_Ita, and the SDLI were used. The Pearson correlation was used to determine the concurrent validity between the instruments; the confidence of intervals (CI 95 %) bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap (BCa), were also calculated. The majority of participants were students attending their first year (47.9 %), and were predominately female (78.5 %). Their average age was 22.5 ± 4.1. The SDL abilities scores, as measured with the SRSSDL_Ita (min 40, max 200), were, on average, 160.79 (95 % CI 159.10–162.57; median 160); while with the SDLI (min 20, max 100), they were on average 82.57 (95 % CI 81.79–83.38; median 83). The Pearson correlation between the SRSSDL_Ita and SDLI instruments was 0.815 (CI BCa 95 % 0.774–0.848), (p = 0.000). The findings confirm the concurrent validity of the SRSSDL_Ita with the SDLI. The SRSSDL_Ita instrument can be useful in the process of identifying Self-Directed Learning abilities, which are essential for students to achieve the expected learning goals and become lifelong learners.

Many adolescents with type 1 diabetes experience challenges in achieving good glycemic control and have insufficient understanding in executing interventions for glycemic control. This study aimed to understand self-management experiences of adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Taiwan. In this descriptive phenomenological study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 adolescents with type 1 diabetes from the pediatric outpatient clinic of a medical center. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s method. Four themes were identified: (1) misconception regarding self-management of blood glucose; (2) conflict between depending on and breaking away from parental assistance for glycemic control; (3) encounter with disruptions in glycemic control regimen due to the presence of schedule changes; and (4) lack of motivation to achieve good glycemic control. The findings indicated that the misconceptions of adolescents with type 1 diabetes about managing glycemic levels resulted from an insufficient understanding of self-management of diabetes. In Taiwan, the heavy emphasis of academic achievement and changes of schedules during breaks tended to disrupt the regimen for glycemic control. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to provide individualized education focusing on the adolescents’ misconceptions regarding self-management of diabetes.