Introduction
Learning is the practice of acquiring knowledge from various sources and applying them in our daily lives to enhance our skills, wisdom or approach in given elements. There are different ways in which one can ensure that they have learned a specified lesson and facilitate their ability to grasp the intended knowledge. Some of these methods include being taught, study or experience. The study can be a form of self-directed learning which is explained as the practice in which persons can initiate the processes of learning without the directions and assistance from others. In practice, one can set their learning goals and identify what it is they want to achieve within the process and at the end. Moreover, from the identifications of their learning goals, the individuals can seek the right and relevant resources from materials to human resources in which they will make use of to achieve their set goals. Finally, from the accumulation and collection of the resources needed to enhance self-driven learning, the individuals will then implement and apply the appropriate learning method that will suit their scope of knowledge and achievements. The significant difference between the self-directed theory and the directed theory of learning is the process used. A directed learning exercise helps the learner acquire all the knowledge needed from another individual who in most cases is the head of faculties or tutors in charge of the lesson whereas in a self-directed learning theory the students take charge of everything to accomplish their set goals.
Various scholars have different perspectives and ideologies towards a self-directed theory of knowledge. For instance, Geri Manning highlights the Mezirow’s view of self-directed learning which reckons that the argument is more central to adult education compared to other concepts and theories used. The core of self-directed learning is the ability of the individual to take full responsibility and take the initiative in directing the course of learning. As explained earlier, discipleship and motivation are critical in making sure that the individual selects, assesses, and manages all the activities required and involved in the learning process. Therefore, the student can become a self-directed individual through various methods that may include setting goals, collection, and storage of information through the use of journals and proper planning. Besides being entirely responsible towards the learning process, the individuals are also required to focus on their achievements and taking actions that will enhance their application of the knowledge acquired.
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Advantages of Self-Directed Theory of Learning (SDL)
According to Cherry Media (2016) in charge of educating on self-directed learning, the theory has various aspects that benefit the individuals who can apply the necessary process to achieve their goals. For example, it is not age limiting hence gives a chance to adults so as they too can sharpen their skills in their areas of the profession. Furthermore, it encourages self-improvement for individuals who have been in a particular field for a long time and lack the upgraded skills and knowledge required (Cherry Media, 2016). Since it is an individual who is in control the whole process from planning to the assessment of the knowledge acquired, they are also in a position to pursue the knowledge at any given time of their choice and place.
As highlighted by the Alternatives to School authors, SDL is an important option for learning that facilitates and impacts various behavioral developments in the individual. For instance, some of the traits acquired through SDL include self-confidence, self-initiative, life satisfaction and perseverance. While taking charge is a mandate in SDL, some factors may affect the ability to facilitate this theory of learning which include environmental factors and personal issues. On the contrary, individuals who practice SDL increases their chances of making sound choices and being able to take wise and intelligent steps in their daily lives purposely to achieve the set goals (Cherry Media, 2016). Perseverance is one of the virtues gained since the individuals are obligated to ensure that they reach the cliff of their knowledge attainment. On the other hand, since the theory dictates that the person ensures that all activities are put into place, and correctly it also creates room for consistency which is a fundamental element in perseverance.
According to Cho and Kwon (2005), learners are also in a position to emotionally and firmly commit to their thirst for knowledge through the resilience despite the environmental factors or any other form of obstacles and challenges they may face or undergo. They are also in a position to adapt to the changes that take place within and without their environments which as a result enhance their performance in their fields, education or profession. Through SDL learners are also in able to impact their inquisitive nature, critical thinking and hence exhibit their learning skills that are essential in influencing the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and experience (Cho and Kwon, 2005). Consequently, in most cases, learners increase their confidence in their capabilities to solve problems and come up with solutions which on the other hand enable them to identify their potential and meaning to the education or professional fields (Zsiga, 2008).
SDL encourages individuals to pursue their learning goals at their own pace and therefore increases their chances of elevating their level of understanding. While school and institute systems may have particular ways in which are used to push the students to work hard and read extensively, some of the methods employed to degrade and discourage the individuals especially if it is younger children who are still identifying themselves in the society. For example, the determination of who is smarter or who is slower in the class highly intimidates the students and in many cases kills their morale to seek knowledge from the tutors in charge. Therefore, in such situations, SDL comes handy in ensuring that the students do not suffer life-long wounds that have been impacted through the coerciveness experienced in a school setup or under a director in the learning process (Zsiga, 2008). Besides, the individuals are in a position to enjoy learning since an external factor that may enhance negativity through words or other forms of degradation are not available. SDL also ensures that students who are slow in grasping a given knowledge can figure learning processes that are more suitable to them and ensures that they fully understand what it is they are taking in. On the other hand, they are also in a position to apply relevant processes that enable them to control their level of understanding which also impacts the ability of the individual to take in only what they need and leave out what is not necessary.
In reference to Tracy Levett-Jones (2005), most school settings are bombarded with various learning requirements which dictate the students to take in whether it is relevant to their field, interests and their set goals. On the other hand, the same school set up are limited to given aspects that at most may hinder the individuals being taught to achieve further goals in other fields and areas unless they enroll in classes that offer the other areas they desire to explore. Therefore, SDL ensures that students applying the processes of the theory can pursue wider ranges of interests because of the opportunities available and provided by this form of learning (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). On the other hand, SDL ensures that a student repeats a given project of interest over and over until they fully understand it. Rather than in a schooling set up where after failing they are recorded as failed and the instructors move to the next level of learning or lesson whether or not the students have understood or grasped the contents of the project. Furthermore, through various projects, the individuals are in a position to explore deeper in the lesson or project being handled which also encourages them to ensure that the nitty gritty of the experience is exhausted and fully understood. As compared to the lessons learned through a director or facilitator who is in charge of all the processes of learning.
SDL encourages liberty in the reinforcement of the learning process which will also ensure that the people around the students have played a significant role in supporting them and influencing their ability to learn. From the help from external factors especially friends and family, the student is always in a position to collaborate with them through discussion, negotiation, assessment, and evaluation of their progress (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). Moreover, the theory enhances the ability to self-satisfy oneself through the steps they undertake and the processes they follow. On the other hand, these individuals tend to build networks with others and actively share their knowledge and skills which are vital in the professional arena as elaborated by Rowland and Volet (1996). From the networks, it is easy for the individuals to share some of the limitations they experience and formulate ways in which they can be able to facilitate reasonable solutions that will impact their ability to handle and counter the obstacles faced. On the other hand, learners will be encouraged to make use of the processes that are quite familiar to them and are easy to understand.
Disadvantages of Self-Driven Theory Learning
While there are various reasons as to why one is encouraged to make use of the self-driven theory of learning in their acquisition of knowledge, the theory has some limitations that may have adverse implications on the learner’s quest to achieve the specified knowledge or skills. For example, as explained by Tracy Levett-Jones (2005) the introduction of SDL has not been successful in the primary areas of learning despite the push by most scholars education theorists like Knowles. The failure of self-directed learning may be as a result of the hindrances or obstacles faced like the lack of self-motivation or initiative to take a step. Also one may lack the resources required to ensure that the learning process is fully implemented and set goals are achieved. In many instances, learners may lack the confidence to take the initiative mostly because they may not believe in their ability to learn by themselves. Therefore, the principal disadvantages to the theory of self-driven learning may include lack of identification of what one needs to attain the right goals and acquire the relevant knowledge or skills required (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). On the other hand, the learner may not have a specified scope in which they will focus on, hence due to the liberty and lack of a strict schedule, they may decide to skip or do away with some vital information and lessons. In a directed learning setup, the teacher due to experience and many years of doing the same thing over and over again, they ensure that their students focus on the steps required. Contrary to this, SDL may not be in a position to facilitate focus on the goal or identifying the right aspects and elements needed in achieving the knowledge in question.
In the practice of SDL, the learner has no upper directions that assess their progress and level of understanding. Therefore, it hinders their ability to identify the areas in which they do not understand and also will not be in a position to correct some of the possible mistakes that they may be doing in the process (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). Considering that in self-driven learning the learner is in charge of all the elements and processes of the theory, the task may be very involving and tiring which may lead to giving up before accomplishing the desired goals.
While a school set up encourages competition, in SDL student do as they wish and in most cases may remain stagnant with the assumption that they are doing well yet they may hinder their ability to achieve more. Competition challenges individuals and at the same time ensures that one gets out of their comforts zones which may lead to their capacity to grow and expand their knowledge, skills, and experience. On the other hand, the students will be in a better position to identify their strengths and weaknesses in learning which may be improved through the interaction with teachers and fellow students (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). Therefore, the lack of interaction with faculty and fellow students in an SDL practice limits the students to figure out areas in which need improvement and boost for better results and complete acquisition of knowledge.
The self-driven learning process requires that the individual identifies a point of commencement which in most cases the learners are not competent enough to find ways and points at which they can start in an appropriate and right manner. Hence they may end up doing the wrong thing from the beginning to the end which will be wastage of time and resources (Tracy Levett-Jones, 2005). In other cases, the learner may not be able to validate the relevant resources they need to accomplish their lessons and quest to meet their goals which on the other hand, may be a reason to lay the wrong foundation and a misuse of their energy, time and learning materials. Self – driven learning theory encourages liberty for one to do whatever they feel is right which in one way or the other may be a channel to mislead oneself and take a wrong turn while digging deeper in need to find knowledge.
Older and newer Studies of Self-Driven Learning
According to Sharan B. Merriam (2011), the theory of self-driven learning is a core pillar of the Adult theory of knowledge which was identified and initiated centuries ago. The systematic forms of learning have been studied around the early twentieth century and have become a cornerstone of education and the process of knowledge acquisition in different areas. Initially, during the studies, studies implied that younger individuals were better in acquiring knowledge and had a faster mental ability to grasp the knowledge or lesson being taught. In the quest to identify the level of intelligence, researchers made use of the intelligence tests that indicated that younger individuals were quite intelligent as compared to their older counterparts. Merriam (2011), argues that the research on intelligence become more complex but in comparison to the tests that were done and compiled older individuals were identified to have a higher IQ in some aspects as compared to their younger competitors who also showed competence and a higher level of intelligence in relation to that of their older partners.
From the ancient days around the 1950’s, studies focused on the human learning skills like the ability to solve problems and the mental development of the individuals. About the findings analyzed, it has been identified that some of the learning skills derail with the advancement of age. For example, some of the cognitive aspects of the memory, processing information and ability to solve problems tend to decrease with increase in age. From this period most of the forms of identifying learning elements were assessed through the reliance on education and research in psychology. Therefore, as highlighted by Merriam (2011), self-driven learning was another form training that was used to expound on adult education. Initiated by Knowles around 1975, he outlined the aspects and elements of self-directed learning through the compilation of a book that elaborated more on the concepts and implementation of the theory. From the foundation of self-directed learning, it is evident that learning is a process that incorporates the daily life of an individual to their adult age. Currently, studies show that self-directed learning is not only focused on adults, but it is applied in various fields purposely to enhance the ability to acquire and gain more knowledge, experience, and skills (Sharan B. Merriam, 2011). Contrary to the past studies of self-directed learning, current and new research implies that it is easy for any individual to take in any knowledge depending on their capabilities and apply them in areas that are more relevant and helpful to them. Furthermore, intelligence and the cognitive development are not limited to specified aspects of learning or a particular age group or individuals.
Concepts and Application of Self-Directed Learning
In reference to Malcolm Knowles’ explanation on self-directed learning, he reckons that the key elements of SD include the set goals, the process identified and the individual in charge. Knowles highlights that the goals in an SDL may vary from one person to the other depending on their needs and intentions to take up the lesson. Moreover, the variation comes in on the level or capacity of the individual involved. SDL fosters transformation in learning which is significant in the teaching of adult learners which on the other hand may influence their ability to increase their functionality in impacting SDL( Levett-Jones’ article (2005). The theory or practice of self-directed learning promotes the freedom in social incorporation and action in a social activity that is involved in affecting education.
The application of self-directed can be applied in various that include adult learning which has been the leading example in our research paper since it was the core reason for commencing and implementing this form of education. On the contrary, the theory can also be applied and is currently deployed in various fields for different purposes. For example, in support of Levett-Jones’ article (2005), SDL is used in professional fields like healthcare and nursing practice where the students are expected to initiate the spirit of engaging in self-learning incorporated with the lecture’s direction for excellence. On the other hand, practicing nurses or healthcare practitioners have a higher chance to effectively apply their knowledge through expounding their level of competency by self-learning. It is important to facilitate good performance in the workplace, hence the need to use SDL so as to broaden one’s scope of knowledge, skills, and experiences (Levett-Jones’ article, 2005). This theory of learning is also encouraged to individuals who seek to develop unique skills primarily to enable them to meet certain financial goals and facilitate growth in their professional fields.
As we saw earlier, most of the school systems have defined schedules and directions to what the student is expected to do how and when. Therefore, depending on the intensity of the workload and the scope of the lesson in question it advisable for the individuals to make use of self-directed learning (Levett-Jones’ article, 2005). The main aim making use of SDL in collaboration with a directed learning is to facilitate high achievements and excellence in accomplishing their goals.
Criticism and Counter Criticism of Self-directed Learning
Like any other ideology or innovation, it is inevitable for individuals disagree on the impacts or concepts of SDL or its importance, hence the existence of criticism towards the theory. According to Marcie Boucouvalas (1997), many critiques are questioning the definition of self-direction and debate of the level in which an individual is in a position to facilitate learning from the beginning to the end on their own for their own. Critiques find this theory to be ideal and unrealistic in the daily life application simply because of most of the cons that we mentioned earlier. Moreover, while the initiator of this theory indicates that the learner plans and validates every resource that they need, critics argue that for one to set a pace in learning there must be a platform that directs them whether in the form of a human, textbook or an electronic device (Marcie Boucouvalas, 1997). Therefore, the existence of these supportive elements refutes the initial concept of self-driven learning. On the other hand, a controversial aspect of self-learning according to critiques has not been articulate or expounded considering that the educators responsible for the research have different ideologies. For instance, Knowles and Tough make use of self-directed learning as a platform for teamwork and collaboration in education. On the other hand, educationists like Kasworm and Caffarellar define SDL as the form of knowledge that can only be executed independently for as long as specified contexts are tapped like human resources which may exist in the environment (Marcie Boucouvalas, 1997). Therefore, critiques firmly believe that the difference in the definition or conceptualization of self-directed learning by various scholars proves its inability to be a viable method.
Contrary to what critiques have come up with or argued upon, it is evident that SDL is a method that is applicable and is significant in the learning process. Moreover, the individuals who have made use of the method attest to its prominence as compared to a school or institute set up. Its impact on adult educators has not failed the attempts used and therefore has become central in the enhancement of knowledge acquisition. Stephen Brookfield (1999) counter argues that through self-directed learning, learners have the ability to find their interest in education which on the other hand impacts their capacity in the application of the knowledge. Besides, the theory has become a foundation for innovative measures that encourage self-learning that include internet resources.
Conclusion
Learning is a central aspect of humans for as long as they are alive and hence impacts their mental and social development. Depending on which form of education one may deliberate on, it is evident that any learning ensures that the individual acquires various skills, experience, and information. On the other hand, it facilitates room to develop other personal skills like inquisitiveness, reasoning, and ability to make choices. As in the case of self-directed learning, despite the fact that the learner is the driver of everything that involves knowledge acquisition it is a theory that gives liberation from systems and institutes. The learner has a chance to implement ways in which they can be able to understand fully what it is they are learning. Contrary, to its benefits SDL limits the learner to fully exploit their potential considering that they can pause or stop learning at their own choice. Besides, the liberty to choose the resources and materials of learning hinders the ability to validate and assess. While both directed and self-directed learning have ways in which benefit learners, a collaboration of the two theories can bring out the most from both teachers and students.
Reference
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