The Internet has virtually revolutionized the process of learning. Notably, it has availed numerous resources for people to engage in self-learning. The Internet has availed unlimited resources available to people to learn on their own. Moreover, literature has shown that there has been an increased magnitude of research on learning process, where variables include learning content and learner self-efficacy with motivation being the assessed factor. For the last 40 years, self-directed learning has emerged as one of the most researched areas in the education process. Educators and policymakers hold the view that self-directed learning is core to adult education in the modern knowledge and technology-driven society. Also , self-directed learning has been categorized by educators as both a practice and a study area. Previously, more focus had been on children rather than adult learners. Being a multi-modal learning experience, it follows then that a single perspective definition will limit the flexibility of the system. However, what educators agree on is that self-directed learning is a mode of learning where responsibilities rest on the learner's needs. The system is centered on a learner as opposed to the traditional model. The learner identifies his/her weak areas, setsgoals, develop learning plans, looks for learning resources, plan implementation, and lastly assess the entire process.
Keywords: self-efficacy, motivation, adult education, multi-modal learning, practice, study areas, knowledge, technology, resources.
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Self-Directed Learning and its Effectiveness on the Working Class
Since prehistory, learning has been pivotal in virtually every aspect of humanity. Consequently, humankind has endeavored to learn and dissipate knowledge to kins and the society in general. Notably, learning has progressed from informal to formal modes throughout history. The 18 th century witnessed the heightened schoolhouse learning with textbooks and teachers serving as the source of knowledge to students on the global spectrum. However, the emergence of the internet revolutionized the learning process by providing a plethora of learning avenues where the learner can access unlimited learning materials with ease. Consequently, learners have utilized the internet services to the extent of pursuing the equivalent of tertiary education online. Over the years, the significance of self-directed learning has tremendously heightened as scholars have affirmed it as a means of increasing or broadening one’s know-how. However, the research that has so far been done has duly focused on adult education. It is pertinent then that more focus on self-directed learning should pertain to children’s approach to self-directed learning
Historically, children have relied on adults to quench their knowledge thirst. It is essential, however, to expose them to individualized self-learning in a bid to assess how well the process will facilitate knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the presentation of self-directed learning as a solution loopholes in the traditional educational . Previous research done, categorizing learners into gifted and not gifted concluded that gifted students conducted and performed excellently in self-directed learning while the non-gifted learners performed well under the traditional academic settings. Nevertheless , self-directed learning has not been inculcated in the academic settings thoroughly. This paper looks in depth whether self-directed learning impact more than the traditional learning modes on learners.
Self-Directed Learning
The contemporary society has been revamped by both commerce, technology, and communication. The modern world has vastly changed to what featured 20 to 40 years ago. The modus operandi too has been revolutionized. Consequently, human lives have significantly changed alongside society, and notably the forms of education. The traditional learning mode, therefore, is deficient and does not provide enough knowledge and preparation for life in a society described as a knowledge-society (Gibbons, 1980). As a result, the self-directed learning has been succinctly seen as the haven of knowledge as it equips learners with a repertoire of attitudes approaches and skills akin to contemporary challenges. (Guglielmino, 2013).
The self-directed learning process has four major strengths as advocated for by its proponent. First, the mode is a student-centered learning or teaching approach. Secondly, it uses the strength of a learner as the core factor typical of the humanistic theory. Third, the strength lies in the power of attitude and skills to harness technology in the learning process. Lastly, it incorporates technology into the student-centered learning program. However, self-directed learning is not without demerits (Kraft, 2014). Markedly, the implementation of the model has emerged as a major hindrances to the almost perfect learning experiences. The shift demands paradigm change in transitioning from the traditional behavioral teaching and learning process to the constructivist, connectivist, and the humanistic approaches. However, the paper first looks into the strengths in depth.
The pros
The first advantage of self-directed learning is its conformity to the humanistic theory that borrows its tennets from the perception that human beings are responsible beings who are autonomous and able to manipulate their own destiny. Moreover, the learner has plethora of choices and freedom (Gibbons, 1980). Many people, hence share the misconception that the learner is candidly learning in isolation. However, this is not the case as the learner in the self-directed mode engages in numerous student-centered learning practices through collaboration with peers (Kraft, 2014). However, the behaviorists’ raise concerns on the fact that the learner engaged in individual learning as opposed to a social academic setting. Interestingly, the humanistic theory pays credence to group learning, a vital tenets of the self-directed learning that no matter the individualism of the learning process, and the individual responsibility for the learning concepts, it is erroneous to term the approach learning in isolation (Christine, 2016). The facilitator and peers shift the traditional setting to a student-centered phenomenon. The constructivist theory further elevates this strengths through the development of an individual upon the discovery of intrinsic strengths.
The second advantage lies in the learner’s ability to identify his/her skills and attitude in regards to myriads of disciplines. Identification of personal attributes is a pertinent steps towards the paradigm shift from the teacher centered traditional approach to the student- centered self-directed learning mode (Kraft, 2014). It becomes more critical when the learner had previously schooled in the behaviorist theory. Interestingly, the task is better accomplished through a scale developed by Guglielmino in 1977. The scale dubbed the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) has emerged as a reliable tool to identify learner’s skills. According to Gahimer (2013), the scale incorporates five skills among them the learner awareness, strategies employed in learning, activities, learner evaluation, and assessment of the interpersonal skills. The scale is pivotal in identifying and categorizing skills into three clusters. The low, the medium, and the high skills category. The attitude and the skills are significant for survival in the contemporary world that is manipulated by both information and knowledge (Kraft, 2014). The skills in self-directed learning has embedded with them the adult education learning goals, which are inclusive of motivation, relevance, prior knowledge, and respect. Once the learner has achieved the identification of skills and attitude, he/she then engages in setting the improvement goals. The Learner simultaneously engages in other learning practices that defines the self-directed mode of learning.
The third advantage of is the provision of self-directed learning that culminates to self-directed lifelong learning process. The merit of the strength lies in the fact that it equip learners with attitude and knowledge to cope in a fast changing society (Gibbons, 1980). The lifelong learning process is defined as an endless engagement in acquisition and application of both knowledge and skills in self-centered context (Fischer & Sugimoto, 2006). Additionally, the authors define active learning as an engagement where learners assess their comprehension as well as concepts or challenges encountered (Kraft, 2014).
The system alienates itself from the teacher-centered, passive, and behavioral learning approach and align to the student-centered and constructivist theory that harbors a plethora of myriad learning combination that are self-directed. The approach borrows heavily from other learning practices inclusive of role playing, tutorials, skills training to inculcate lifelong skills and attitude that literally forms the tenets of lifelong learning. Notably, professions such as pharmacy, nursing, engineering, and medicine apply vastly the problem based and self-directed learning approach. (Guglielmino, 2013) Moreover, their respective bodies provide accreditation program to ascertain the suitability of the professionals.
The fourth strength of the self-directed learning approach is its connection to online learning. The recent heightened use of technology, coupled with connectivism provide a pivotal learning experience for the self-directed learners. The internet, with its surplus learning resources provides a rich source of resources that virtually meets all the needs of the learner. Notably, The Brock University inculcate in the learners the self-direct learning approach by assessing whether learners know the source of information as opposed to knowing the information (Kraft, 2014). Moreover, the course demands that the learner connects with the environment around them and connect concepts too rather than grasp the concepts only.
The major demerit hindering the self-directed learning, its strength not withstanding, is the implementation challenges. The school community, more so in higher learning, are still trapped in the behaviorist learning and teaching mode that is passive and not student-centered. Burg hold the opinion that the transition from the behaviorists to constructivist and the humanist approach has been slow and literally very low (Christine, 2016). Many institution, argues Barth, conduct learning activities in the usual traditional style where teacher is the source of knowledge and lectures, then provide exam and from the results, grade the students (Kraft, 2014). However, as Guglielmino points out, there are limited educators who encourage their learners to engage in self-directed learning approach for lifelong learning. However, majority are still embedded in the behaviorist learning approach.
The second disadvantage associated with the self-directed learning is the dictatism. Though the mode of learning is life long and incorporates numerous strengths as discussed in this paper, the mode of instructions remains unchanged, hence dictated by test and lecture predominant. Hiemstara (2013) argues that teachers being products of behaviorisms, lacks enough knowledge and skills as pertains adult education principles and hence, view learners as empty slate that can virtually be filled by the adults regarded as custodians of knowledge. Moreover, learner who have inadequate attitude and skills vehemently opposes the shift from the teacher-centered learning to the student-centered approach that is self-directed (Gibbons, 1980). However, educationists argues that the hesitance may be as a results of the influence the behaviorists has had in the teaching and learning process since the students were introduced in the schooling process.
In conclusion, the traditional learning methods do not candidly tackle the 21 st century challenges. Moreover, research has proven that the limitations of the behaviorist’s mode of learning deteriorates the quality of education. This paper has beyond doubt explored the merits embedded in self-directed learning. It is then paramount that the 21 st generation revisit the learning modules that instils self-directed practices and lifelong practices for the individuals to fit in the fast changing, technology-driven society. Educators and curriculum developers have been developing the content in the behaviorists learning method. However, learners have so far found the content literally inadequate and irrelevant. Shockingly, the trend has not gone unnoticed by the corporates world who argues that graduates from prestigious schools graduates with little or no skills from their courses. Additionally, there is need to increase the awareness in regards to self-directed / student centered learning approach in learning institution more so the tertially institutions. Moreover, the faculties need professional development training on the self-directed teaching approaches and facilitate accessibility of the information by students to prepare them for the transition. Moreover, the practice will heighten the transition for both the student and the faculty from the behaviorisms to the humanist and constructivist self-directed learning approach.
References
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Gibbons, M. (1980). Toward a theory of SDL: A study of experts without formal training. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 41-56.
Plews, R. C. (2016). Exploring Self-Directed Learning in the Online Learning Environment:
Comparing Traditional versus Nontraditional Learner Populations a Qualitative Study. ProQuest LLC .
Rovel, Alfred P., & Jordan, Hope M. (2004).Blended Learning and Sense of Community: A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning,
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Kraft, Monica. (2014, August 3). Traditional vs. modern learning systems. Learning Management Systems.
