Affiliation:
1. Department of Higher and Adult Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Abstract
Research into self-directed learning constitutes a chief growth area in the field of adult education research in the last decade. This paper argues that the propensity and capacity of many adults to conduct self-directed learning projects is now well proven, and that researchers should now infuse a spirit of self-critical scrutiny into this developing field of research. The paper advances four criticisms regarding the current state of self-directed learning research and offers suggestion for shifts in the research paradigm governing this field. The criticisms voiced refer to (1) the emphasis on middle class adults as the sampling frame for studies of this mode of learning, (2) the almost exclusive use of quantitative or quasi-quantitative measures in assessing the extent of learning and the concomitant lack of attention to its quality, (3) the emphasis on the individual dimensions of such learning to the exclusion of any consideration of the social context in which it occurs and, finally, (4) to the absence of any extended discussion of the considerable implications raised by these studies for questions of social and political change.
Cited by
79 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
1. Inclusion at the Center: Teaching and Learning in the Community College Context;Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research;2024
2. Learning from self-help books: an experiential account of management teachers;Journal of Poetry Therapy;2023-07-13
3. Flipping the Indian HEI Classroom Based on Technology;Technology-Driven E-Learning Pedagogy Through Emotional Intelligence;2023-05-12
4. Effective Leadership Practices Transform Graduate Education;Elevating Intentional Education Practice in Graduate Programs;2023-01-06
5. The Foundations of Intentional Education Practice;Elevating Intentional Education Practice in Graduate Programs;2023-01-06