Shawn Kalwat

Literature Review

Self-directed learning (SDL) is a learning tool that allows the learner to be autonomous with minimal supervision from an educator while still attaining knowledge and understanding of educational subjects. SDL has been separated from traditional ideas of learning that are in line with teachers guiding students through material in a classroom setting. In SDL, the student is required to self-teach the information and to attain material and information from outside sources to master the subject matter. The educator provides prompts to the student but mastery of the knowledge is left to the student. One of the key demographics that succeeds in using SDL are adult learners. Adult learners are self-motivated and autonomous because of life experience and their roles as adults. Because of the empowerment of life experience and previous formal education, adult learners are more likely to utilize SDL because of the intrinsic characteristics they hold as adults.

Definition

Self-directed Learning(SDL) has been a useful tool for many practitioners of adult education. However, the issue of defining SDL causes these same practitioners to define SDL by various different ideas. In order to operationalize any term for study, it is paramount to have a clear definition of the term and what is and is not compliant with the terms definition. In the case of SDL, definitions range from educators prompting students and having direct involvement to other educators belief that SDL is an independent activity that has to be accomplished by the student with little or no prompts or interjection from the educator. According to Stockdale and Brockett (2011):

“Self-direction has long been recognized as an important component of adults learning activities. However, almost without exceptions, the same adult educators who cite the centrality of this concept to adult learning suggest that confusion and controversy exist with the nature and application of the concept”(p.162).

One of the key areas many educators disagree on is the ability of the learner to be autonomous in regard to interaction with the educator and from prompting that may occur with this interaction.

Educators disagree on how much interaction there should be between educators and students in regards to SDL. According to Deci and Ryan (2000), “Essentially, students are said to be self-directed if they do not require inducement or prompts, whereas they are said to be other-directed or not self-directed if they do require such contingencies ”(p.76).  Others disagree with this premise and believe that students can be prompted and still be SDL. According to Reeve, Nix and Hamm (2003), “offering students choices from a teacher-generated list does not affect learners’ perception of self-determination, whereby facilitating choice over one’s actions does engender an experience capable of affecting perceived self-determination ”(p. 375). The ability of the student to choose which topic they will study allows them to take ownership of their learning which is a primary objective of SDL. The learner is directing their learning process and is in charge of their own learning. They choose a topic and from this point until the lesson is complete they are required to be self-directed in their learning to complete the assignment.

Ownership

SDL requires the student to own the learning process. They have to invest time and energy into completing the coursework. Ownership of the process is a belief that they are in charge of their success and they own their process. Knowles definition of self-directed learning is (1975):

“A process in which individuals take the initiative with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes ”(p.164).

From this passage, the word initiative is synonymous with ownership of the process. The learner is required to be self-motivated to complete the task. This requires the learner to own the process of learning and to be autonomous. If they require additional tools or material, they are required to seek these materials out to complete the task. This autonomy can lead to empowerment of the learner and a realization that by owning the learning process they are personally responsible for their own success or failure.

Empowerment is a strong motivational tool of SDL. In self-determination theory, motivation is a belief that people are acting with purpose and intention in a belief that they can attain an outcome (Lewin, 1951, p.89). SDL empowers the learner with the belief they can achieve a goal on their own with minimal support. Motivation to learn does not require outside motives. The ability to attain goals and to use SDL to attain these goals empowers the learner through knowledge and a stronger belief in the self.

Motives

What motives are at play in SDL? If no educator is there to motivate the student how do, they stay on task or accomplish goals? The answer to both of these questions has been the subject of inquiry for multiple scholars. According to Deci and Ryan (2000):

“Intrinsic motivation is integral to the natural growth tendency in humans and represents an inherent aspect of the self. As such, when learning is intrinsically motivated it is self-directed “(p.89).

In adults learning is self-motivated and the learner should understand that what they are learning will be useful now and in the future.  The motivation of SDL has to come from within the student. There is limited access from an educator and the prompts a student is given should only guide the learner on their journey. It should be left to the learner to understand the knowledge and seek out material and addition information for themselves to better understand the lesson.

Adult learners seek out education to better their lives. They want to avail themselves to new opportunities that only come from education. SDL allows adult learners to channel this motivation to better their lives. Because they have previous knowledge, adult learners bring these experiences into the learning environment. These experiences allow them to understand and expand their understanding of new ideas. As Knowles (1998) pointed out, “self-direction depends on one’s…social maturity as generated by the assumption of adult life roles…” (p.29). Because of this maturity and life roles, adults are able to utilize SDL and reach their learning objectives.

SDL Learners

SDL learning requires self-motivation, maturity and the ability to work autonomously. SDL allows the learner to take control and to become master of their learning experience. Adults have previous experience in their live roles; in addition, those that have had formal schooling bring additional tools that are useful in SDL. According to Ellsworth (1992), “adults with more formal schooling tend to be more self-directing than adults who lack this background experience ”(p.32)  Adults with formal schooling understand what is required to be successful in an educational environment. They have study skills and learning strategies those that do not have formal educational experiences could not draw upon in an SDL environment.

SDL allows a learner to be autonomous. A student has to be able to be self-motivated and a self-starter to be successful in an SDL environment. Some students proper with autonomy and others need to be in a more structured environment. Those that do not have formal educational backgrounds will need to be mentored and are less self-directing that adults with higher levels of education (Ellsworth, 1992, p. 32).

Implications

The themes of SDL can inform the practice of education by enabling educators to understand what students would be the best candidates for self-directed learning. Because SDL requires a student to be self-motivated and have a strong formal educational background, students that do not have these characteristics should stay in the classroom and attain these skills before they enter SDL. SDL gives a student the ability to own their learning in ways that a classroom environment does not. In a classroom, students are given directions and mentored by the educator. In SDL, the direction and mentoring has to come from within the learner. While prompts from the educator can guide or start conversations in the learning environment, it is up to the student to distill down the information and learn it.

SDL is a great tool for adult learners with a formal educational background. Adult learners are intrinsically motivated. They are seeking information in order to gain skills or new knowledge they can use in their lives. Adult students bring previous experience that can be drawn upon if they encounter obstacles. They will seek out information or material to find a solution to a problem in ways that younger students may not be confident enough to do. Adult students are not seeking accolades from an educator in ways that younger students may do in the classroom. The accolades that an adult student seeks is knowledge and mastery of new knowledge.

Highlights

The highlights from this assignment is a stronger understanding of SDL.  SDL requires a student to be self-motivated and autonomous in ways that traditional educational programs do not. It is not a one size fits all idea and some students would succeed but others would fail because of a lack of motivation or a lack of formal education. Formal education and the skills that come from a formal educational environment are key to succeeding in SDL. Having strong study skills and being able to problem solve are necessities to succeed in SDL. Because of the advent of internet technology, SDL classes can be online. In an online setting, the professor could be across the country and so if the student encounters an obstacle it is up to the student to find a solution. Therefore, it is up to the student to be self-confident and have perseverance to succeed.

The lack of a clear, universal definition of SDL was a significant part of this assignment. From the literature, the definitions of SDL seemed to be in two camps. Those who believed the usage of prompts was acceptable in SDL and those who felt SDL should be autonomous with minimal interaction between the instructor and the student. In any research project, the researcher has to define the terms they will use and how they will be applied to the study. For this research study, the usage of SDL will include prompts because while SDL is self-determined the instructor needs to guide a student in the attainment of knowledge and to ensure that they fully understand the information they are given. SDL should not denude the instructor from the responsibility of providing information or guiding the student. If this were the case, SDL could be responsible for students misunderstanding information and leaving the class not completing the goals of mastery of the information.

Process

The process I used to complete this assignment required me to find scholars in the area of SDL through a database search. In addition to utilizing school databases, I utilized the internet and watched a few videos on the subject to better understand the literature that I was reading. Because I am new to the field of education, I wanted to attain some basic information in regards to SDL. From this information, I was able to find several themes scholars in this subject area identified as key variables in the usage of SDL as a learning tool. As someone that is interested in the role of SDL and how adults can utilize this learning tool, my continual interest in the field seeks to better understand which students are the best candidates to utilize this tool and which students are not. As a future educator, I feel that it is paramount students are given the tools to succeed and SDL is one of those tools.

Main Themes/Ideas                                                                         Application of the main ideas in practice

Idea 1 Defining Self-Directed Learning           Depending on how you define the term will determine how it will be applied

Idea 2 Taking ownership of learning                                    SDL requires students to take ownership of their education

Idea 3 Motivation is intrinsic                                             Internal motivation is the key to students being successful in SDL

Idea 4 Formal education is paramount to success.             Previous formal education should be a perquisite to using SDL.

Bibliography

Ellsworth, J. (1992). Adults’ learning. Journal of Adult Education, 21(1), 23-34.

Knowles, M. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for teachers and learners. New York, NY: Associated Press.

Knowles, M. & Holton F. & Swanson, R. (1998). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Houston, TX: Gulf.

Lewin, K. (1951). Intention, will and need. In D. Rappaport (Ed.), Organization and pathology of thought. New York: Columbia University Press. 95-153.

Reeve, J., Nix, G., Hamm, D. (2003). Testing models of the experience of self-determination in intrinsic motivation and the conundrum of choice. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 375-392

Stockdale, S. L., & Brockett, R. G. (2011). Development of the PRO-SDLS: A Measure of Self-Direction in Learning Based on the Personal Responsibility Orientation Model. Adult Education Quarterly, 61(2), 161-180.

Terry, M. (2006). Self-Directed Learning by Undereducated Adults. Educational Research Quarterly, 29(4), 28-38.