Factor Structure and Reliability ofthe Persian Version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Medical Students(JeffSPLL-MS)

Introduction: Today, the importance of students’ education as lifelong learners is taken seriously and its development is considered in all suggestions for improving medical education. Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning-Medical Students (JeffSPSLL-MS) is one of the lifelong learning measures which has not been implemented in Iran yet. This study aimed to investigate factor structure and reliability of the Persian version of JeffSPLL-MS among Iranian Persian speaking students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 430 students in Birjand University of Medical Sciences who were selected through stratified random sampling. The data were collected by Persian version of JeffSPLL-MS. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of JeffSPLL-MS the adequacy of model fit was assessed by the goodness-of-fit index, adjusted goodness-of-fit index, the root mean square error of approximation, chi-square index and its corresponding degrees of freedom, and comparative fit index. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to check the reliability. Results:The goodness of fit indices including RMSEA approximated 0.1 and GFI and CFI approximated 1 therefore the fit of model was good. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor structure of Persian version of JeffSPLL-MS had acceptable fit to the data. Also, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.69 for the whole tool it ranged from 0.64 to 0.78 for the subscales. Conclusion:This study confirmed the three-factor structure of 14-item Persian version of JeffSPLL-MS including beliefs related to education and motivation, information search skills, and attention to learning opportunities. Therefore, this tool seems to be appropriate for assessing lifelong learning among Persian speaking students.