Are young professionals engaging in self-planned learning projects? Twenty-first century implications for self-directed learning among post-four-year undergraduate students (original) (raw)
The challenges, supports, and strategies of self-directed learning among college students
Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 2023
In addition to be proficient at their core subjects, college students need to master the 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, information literacy, and many other skills. Studies on self-directed learning (SDL) have indicated that SDL is a strong predictor for 21st-century skill mastery. This study aimed at exploring the challenges, supports, and strategies of SDL among college students. This qualitative study used interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) to obtain data on SDL. The respondents in this study were college students in a private university. The interview and the focus group discussions were then transcribed, analyzed, and coded to find emerging themes. The results of this study indicate several important points. First, social media can empower students in their learning, but can also distract them from their learning. College students needed support from parents, peer groups, and even alumni to seek knowledge independently. Making priorities and maintaining good relationship with classmates, friends, seniors, and alumni are some of the strategies that college students used.
Exploring Self-Directed Learning among Undergraduate Education Students
International Journal of Law, Humanities & Social Science, 2017
The teaching and learning approach at the University of Namibia call for students to take initiative, responsibility, ownership of own learning and become independent learners. At the time of this research the observation made was that students are dependent on lecturers and do not take responsibility for own learning. Therefore, it is important to explore self-directed learning among students. In this paper, we used an exploratory case study design to explore self-directed learning among students at one of the University of Namibia education campuses. The objectives of the research were: 1) to explore the readiness of first year student teachers to learn independently, 2) to understand student teachers' experiences and challenges they face and that hamper their self-directed learning and 3) to identify various ways of facilitating independent learning, enhancing self-directed learning and fostering opportunities for self-directed learning among student teachers. By exploring self-directed learning among students, this paper provided insights for bridging the gaps between lecturers' teaching strategies and students' self-directed learning. Literature was reviewed to understand the concept of self-directed learning. Data were gathered through focus group discussions with student. Narrative analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings of this research revealed that students depend too much on lecturers. They expect lecturers to give them handouts, notes and slides used during lectures. The findings of this research have implications on the teaching strategies lecturers use during the teaching and learning process and ways to enhance self-directed learning among students.
An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Skills of Undergraduate Students
Frontiers in Psychology, 2018
The aims of this study were to reveal university students' self-directed learning skills and determine whether these skills vary based on university type, gender, field of study, year of study, academic success, type of university entrance score, income level, and the desire to pursue a graduate degree. Also, this study explored the relationship between university students' self-directed learning skills and their lifelong learning tendencies. The study group of the survey comprised 2,600 first and fourth-year students from same departments of Hacettepe and Başkent Universities. The study collected its data by using "Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale" designed by Aşkin (2015). Moreover, Diker-Coşkun's "Lifelong Learning Tendencies Scale" was used to explore the relationship between university students' self-directed learning skills and their lifelong learning tendencies. The results revealed that university students' self-directed learning scores were above the median score of the scale. Self-directed learning skills were found not to vary based on university, year of study, income level. However, gender, field of study, university entrance score type, academic success and the desire to pursue a graduate degree made a significant difference on university students' self-directed learning skills. Finally, a moderate positive relationship was detected between self-directed learning skills and lifelong learning tendencies. In summary it can be said that, undergraduate students have self-directed learning skills and these skills are related to lifelong learning.
Journal of General Education and Humanities, 2024
This literature review critically assesses the pros and cons of selfstudy and self-management, shedding light on their impact on individual learning. The self-study provides flexibility, allowing undergraduate students to customize schedules and fostering autonomy and motivation. However, challenges like maintaining discipline and overcoming isolation are recognized. The review explores psychological benefits, such as improved time management and enhanced problem-solving, alongside drawbacks like procrastination. Affective self-management activities, including goal-setting and active learning, emerge as crucial for self-study success. Future research suggestions include exploring the role of emerging technologies, studying cultural factors, and proposing longitudinal research to assess the sustained effects of selfmanagement activities.
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: DEVELOPING READINESS IN GRADUATE STUDENTS
Self-directed learning, characterized by learner autonomy, critical reflection, and student engagement, is presented as a competency for higher education, and the impact of this concept on curriculum is discussed. This mixed method explanatory study examined the impact of intentional curriculum focusing on self-directed learning, including attendance at a self-directed learning conference. Administration of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale was given to graduate students at the beginning and end of the term, and pre and posttest scores were compared. The qualitative data were derived from six interviews conducted at the end of the course. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicate the potential of intentional curriculum to impact self-directed readiness and competence. Many scholars understand the importance of self-directed learning (SDL) for adult learners, yet not all learners realize their potential to be self-directed. This article examines whether a course exposing graduate students to the educational principles of self-directed learning, including attendance at a self-directed learning conference, has the ability to increase self-directed learning readiness. Pre and posttest scores on the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) will be reviewed, and student feedback about their perceived growth or stability in the area will also be discussed. The purpose of this mixed method explanatory study was to determine whether exposure to the concepts of self-directed learning through both course content and a conference on the topic of self-directed learning could lead to increased self-directed learning readiness according to the SDLRS. We were hopeful that scores on the SDLRS would increase but hypothesized that a statistically significant change would not occur in scores over a short period (i.e., one semester) of time. Further, through interviews with graduate students, we sought to better understand the effects of exposure to and engagement with self-directed learning on students taking a course focused on the topic of self-directed learning. Results from this study will further the understanding of the impact of intentional SDL curriculum.
Facilitating student development in the self-directed approach to learning
Modern academic tuition does not go along the academic lines of mass schooling. Tuition at universities sets up different objectives. It is crucial for the economic growth of countries. Therefore, significant attention is paid to the utilitarian character of academic knowledge. The effects of academic tuition are perceived as focusing on the student individuality. Being a university student implies playing a certain role, where norms of conduct, lifestyle, and professed values result from identification with the academic community, a sense of belonging to the elite of youth, characterized by an autonomy of its activity. Autonomous approach to the students’ own development is expressed by self-directedness, self-directed learning and choosing methods which facilitate constructing one’s own knowledge instead of its non-reflective acquisition. Employing concept maps is a method which facilitates subjective building of cognitive personal knowledge structures. The method uses visual techniques of learning, where the structure, or – more precisely – elements of a phenomenon are recorded, in order to grasp relationships and dependencies existing between them. Becoming conscious of these relations allows understanding them, which is a necessary condition of knowledge.
Evaluating undergraduate students’ self-directed learning experiences during research-based learning
2020
Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the manuscript be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research Justification This scholarly book is the third volume in an NWU book series on self-directed learning. It is devoted to self-directed learning research and its impact on educational practice. The importance of self-directed learning for learners in the 21st century to equip themselves with the necessary skills to take responsibility for their own learning for life cannot be over emphasised. The target audience does not only consist of scholars in the field of self-directed learning in Higher Education and the Schooling sector, but it also includes all scholars in the field of teaching and learning in the various education and training sectors. The book contributes to the discourse on creating dispositions towards self-directed learning among all learners and adds to the latest body of scholarship in terms of self-directed learning. Although from different perspectives, chapters in the book are closely linked together around selfdirected learning as central theme, following on the work done in Volume 1 of this series (Self-Directed Learning for the 21st Century: Implications for Higher Education), to form a rich knowledge bank of work on self-directed learning. This book serves as a valuable contribution to the body of scholarship in self-directed learning. In accordance with the requirements of the Department of Higher Education and Training, this book contains original content not published before and no part of the work was plagiarised.
2013
Self-directed learning has been a central topic of discussion in adult education for many years. After analyzing several articles and books regarding autonomous learning, I have taken a stance of my own on the matter. In the sections that follow I have summarized my readings of Gerald Grow and Mark Tennant’s articles regarding self-directed learning, to include an explanation of my position on the topic. I argue that the student, not the teacher, is the judge of ability and propose that emotion is a key component of a learner’s readiness to advance to higher levels of self-directed learning. In addition, I concur that self-directed learning can be taught and learned, but emphasize the importance of constructive feedback as a tool and means to do so. EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO BE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS 3 Article Summaries Grow (1991) proposes that learners can advance through stages of increasing selfdirection if they are matched with the proper teaching methods at each stage. He support...
Ac 2008-1596: Engineering Students' Conceptions of Self-Directed Learning
2008
Researchers have developed numerous theories and developmental models to describe self-directed learning, lifelong learning, and self-regulated learning. The literature includes a large body of research that illustrates the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioral attributes of self-directed learners; the influences of social and physical environment on self-directed learning development; and the roles of self-perceptions, causal orientations, learning conceptions, and demographics in determining certain self-directed learning responses. But how do undergraduate engineering students characterize and critique self-directed learning? This paper evaluates the responses of engineering students to questions regarding the definition of self-direction and the primary positive or negative factors contributing to their self-directed learning experiences. We find that undergraduate students at all levels are able to identify positive and challenging aspects of self-di...
Self-Directed Learning Contention: Student and Faculty Views
2011
Self-directed learning (SDL) is a pedagogical technique that is commonly practiced within the framework of project-based learning (PjBL) SDL has been found to be useful in the development of skills necessary for engineering careers, including open-ended problem-solving, life-long learning, and critical thinking. Implemented in a variety of ways, SDL is primarily characterized by developing student autonomy. According to Stefanou et al.’s framework, student autonomy can be promoted at three different levels: organizational, procedural, and cognitive. These three levels include varying degree of student choice: organizational autonomy takes into account the environment (e.g., due dates), procedural autonomy incorporates form (e.g., deliverable form), and cognitive autonomy involves content (e.g., designing projects). This range of possible SDL experiences allows for a wide interpretation of the role and value of SDL and student autonomy by both students and faculty. Using methods of g...
Exploring and Developing Items Measuring Self-Directed Learning
2023
Purpose of the Study : With exploratory factor analysis (EFA), this study aimed to create a valid and trustworthy survey instrument to gauge self-directed learning. With the ultimate goal of promoting lifelong learning skills, this research endeavors to create a foundation upon which doctoral students can build not only their dissertations but also a mindset that transcends academia, preparing them for a future of continuous intellectual and professional development. Methodology: The researcher used IBM-SPSS-AMOS 24.0 to run the EFA procedure on construct elements for a survey with an interval scale between 1 and 10 and the extraction method of Principal Component with Varimax Rotation. Additionally, the Bartletts' Test of Sphericity and the KMO sampling adequacy were carried out. The reliability of the kept items was examined using Cronbach's Alpha. Primary Results: The Bartletts' Test of Sphericity has a significant level of significance (sig. 000). Additionally, there is great sample adequacy as indicated by (KMO=0.860). Cronbach's alpha values for the two components are more than 0.7. Additionally, all 13 items' Cronbach's Alpha values were higher than the cutoff value of 0.7. The instrument's consistency and stability across samples was verified by the development scale and validation. Applications of the Study: This research was conducted primarily for postgraduate students studying at Malaysian public universities, particularly those in Sabah and Sarawak. The PhD candidates who are enrolling in doctorate programmes at local public universities were the focus of the study. Originality of this Study: The study's unique contribution is in its ability to quantify self-directed learning within the setting of doctorate students. The EFA outcomes revealed that the elements are usable in this study, as they constitute a configuration that isolates two components of self-directed learning that can be measured by 13 items established in this research.
Self-directed learning: A critical review of research
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1985
Self-directed learning comprises a major area of research and theory in adult education, yet the studies conducted have a culture-and class-spec$c level of generalizability.
Self-Directed Learning Curriculum: Students’ Perspectives of University Learning Experiences
Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction
Purpose - Self-directed learning (SDL) requires students to be active throughout their learning process by deciding and finding their own learning objectives, learning strategies and various learning opportunities as well as learning resources. This study, which investigates the university students’ perspectives of university learning experiences, aims to shed light on the extent university ecosystem’s support and ensure the effectiveness of SDL implementation. Methodology - Twenty Malaysian public university students were interviewed to obtain their views on SDL, and to explore their SDL experiences. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to inform the methodological and analytical framework of this study. A ‘backward-and-forward’ approach was used to analyse the interview data. Findings - The findings suggest that abundant university curriculum could potentially inhibit SDL, yet majority of university students acknowledge that SDL can support their lifelong...
Self-Directed Learning Curriculum: Students’ Perspectives of University Learning Experiences
2020
Purpose - Self-directed learning (SDL) requires students to be active throughout their learning process by deciding and finding their own learning objectives, learning strategies and various learning opportunities as well as learning resources. This study, which investigates the university students’ perspectives of university learning experiences, aims to shed light on the extent university ecosystem’s support and ensure the effectiveness of SDL implementation. Methodology - Twenty Malaysian public university students were interviewed to obtain their views on SDL, and to explore their SDL experiences. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to inform the methodological and analytical framework of this study. A ‘backward-and-forward’ approach was used to analyse the interview data. Findings - The findings suggest that abundant university curriculum could potentially inhibit SDL, yet majority of university students acknowledge that SDL can support their lifelong learning jo...
Self-Directed Learning for the 21st Century: Implications for Higher Education
NWU Self-Directed Learning Series, 2019
Peer review declaration The publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to a rigorous twostep peer review process prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s).
Learners' perceptions of self-directed study
Möbius: A Journal for Continuing Education Professionals in Health Sciences, 1982
elf-directed study provides a means by S which the teaching/learning process can be more individualized to learners and their needs. As evidenced by the varied types and large numbers of self-contained learning packages being developed, this non-traditional approach to learning is becoming increasingly popular and is being utilized at all educational levels, to include continuing education programs. This type of study is especially appropriate for learners who are geographically distant from educational centers which provide the courses and content that are desired.
Understanding and promoting self-direction in freshman and master's students: a qualitative approach
Behavioural Development Bulletin, 2017
This study investigates how the transition toward self-direction is experienced and facilitated in 2 semester-long courses in teacher education degree programs and the differences in such a transition for freshman and master’s students. The thematic analysis of the written self-assessments of 8 illustrative examples enabled the detection of (a) students’ initial upset in the face of demands for internal authority; (b) the support of the teacher and peers in managing that upset; and (c) the students’ shift toward more complex conceptions of learning and teaching, including evidence of increasing self-direction. These findings shed light on the potential of intentionally designed learning contexts for promoting students’ epistemological development. The similarities found between freshman and master’s students’ experiences when managing the demands of internal authority emphasize the underutilization of the most extended teaching practices in higher education.