This study determined the number of self-directed learning projects undertaken by older adults and examined the motivational factors and anticipated benefits related to the learning activities. In addition, obstacles to conducting self-directed learning were identified by the respondents. A list of 20,032 names of adults, aged 50 or more years and residing in Tom Green County, Texas, was obtained from voter registration rolls and the residential rolls of four retirement complexes. Four hundred names were randomly selected to serve as the sample of the study. Of the 400 potential subjects, 120 persons agreed to be interviewed. Indepth interviews were conducted using the questions from Tough's Interview Schedule for Studying Some Basic Characteristics of Learning Projects and a probe sheet to identify obstacles to conducting self-directed learning projects. The interviews focused on the learning activities of older adults during the previous year. The 120 subjects of this study conducted a total of 239 learning projects in the previous year, an average of 1.99 self-directed learning projects per person. Ninety-five (95%) percent of the persons interviewed reported to have conducted at least one learning project in the past year. The majority of the learning projects were self-planned for the purpose of self-enjoyment and self-fulfillment. The most frequent obstacles to conducting self-directed learning projects identified by the subjects included: 1) finding the time for the learning activity; 2) the cost of the learning activity; 3) home responsibilities; 4) difficulty deciding what knowledge or skill to learn; 5) difficulty remembering new material or information; and 6) poor health. Comparisons of the results of this study were made with the results of previous studies by Tough, Hiemstra, and Ralston. The data support the belief that books, pamphlets, and newspapers are the primary source of information for the older adult. The results of this study indicate that older adults value self-directed learning as a major source of self~fulfillment in their lives and are motivated to develop new knowledge and skills through self-planned, self-directed learning projects.

In this qualitative case study, self-directed learning theory was used as the lens to explore experiences of nine women entrepreneurs during the first four years of business ownership as they sought to acquire skills necessary to run their businesses. Data were collected over six months through in-person 90-minute interviews and follow-up questions posed by telephone and email. Qualitative data software was used for coding and thematic analysis, resulting in five broad conclusions related to learning, with additional unanticipated findings. Study participants engaged in a variety of self-directed learning activities, mostly through trial and error experimentation, and possessed varying motivations for learning. Educational level and reliance on past industry experience limited openness to new experiences and commitment to learning for some, particularly those with high school degrees or limited college experience. The majority of learning was pursued “just-in-time” as the need mandated when a challenge presented itself rather than in a pre-planned manner. Learning was heavily reliant on other people: most sought the advice of paid professionals, former co-workers, or friends and family. The use of a mentor for learning was identified by one participant, while three employed business coaches for professional guidance. Much of their learning was highly instrumental in nature, focused on here-and-now problem solving related to managing employees, handling legal issues in establishing the business, and learning to market themselves. While extremely self-confident in their abilities, most of the women struggled with issues of family and work-life balance, and several described guilt over neglecting one aspect of their lives for the other. Study conclusions emphasize the importance of knowing how to learn in the entrepreneurial context and suggest ways entrepreneurs can access knowledge and new experiences for learning, with implications for entrepreneurship programs, government agencies, and educators.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第23315号 / 情博第751号 / 新制||情||128(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 緒方 広明, 教授 黒田 知宏, 教授 楠見 孝 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM

A major change being advocated in education is that of making students more self-directing; that is, helping them become more responsible for their own learning. The focus of this investigation was on fifth grade students' use of self-directed learning strategies and self-directed perceptual skills. An experimental study was conducted using the nested design for analyzing data obtained from the Guglielmino Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, the Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons1 Self-Regulated Learning Interview Schedule, and the Bradley-Lane Self-Directing Perceptual Scale. One hundred fifty-two fifth graders were involved in the eight week study along with their six teachers. Both students and teachers were immersed in a module of training that included emphasis upon self-directing behaviors and learning strategies. Two striking findings emerged; namely, (a) in comparing the average number of learning strategies acquired after treatment, the experimental group (low, middle, and high IQ levels) scored 40%, 50% and 29% higher respectively, than did the control group; (b) in comparing the fifth grade students use of learning strategies it was found that most students nearly doubled the number of learning strategies they had previously acquired. Thus, it was concluded that children who do not have actual teaching of information or data concerning learning strategies will likely never acquire the same repertoire of skills that students acquire when exposed to this critical information in some specific, systematic fashion. A primary product developed for the purposes of this investigation was the Bradley-Lane Self-Directing Perceptual Scale—a 132-item Likert Scale designed to identify the self-perceptions of elementary and middle school students. After field-testing, a chi-square treatment was applied to each item of the Perceptual Scale resulting in a reliability of p<.01 for the majority (79%) of the test items, while an additional twelve items (9%) were found to be reliable at the .02 level of significance.

In 2012, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I), a division of The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced a self-directed professional development program that allowed educators to obtain two certification credentials by completing 12 certification projects per credential. This qualitative study used phenomenology to examine the following question: “What are S&I educators’ experiences with self-directed learning in doing certification projects?” Data were obtained through one-on-one, semistructured interviews with seven professionalS&I educators who described their lived experiences with this phenomenon. Self-directed learning theory, as influenced by andragogy, provided the theoretical and conceptual framework for this study and contributed to the analysis and interpretation of the data and findings. Findings indicate that personal and contextual factors influence how self-directed learning for purposes of professional development is experienced; understanding program requirements, expectations, and processes, and possessing sufficient motivation and justification, facilitate involvement in this form of self-directed learning; collaborative learning can be used in self-directed learning and can lead to improved learning and practice-related outcomes; and self-directed learning for purposes of professional development can result in meaningful learning experiences, changes in instructional practice, and perceived professional growth, especially when aligned with compelling professional learning needs and interests. This study concluded by offering recommendations for potentially facilitating S&I educators’ involvement in self-directed learning in doing certification projects and for increasing the impact of such projects on educators’ professional growth.

Beginning in 1978, the learning paradigm of the Faculty of Agriculture at the (now) University of Western Sydney - Hawkesbury was progressivly altered from the classical didactic approach to, by 1985, a student self-directed, experiential learning environment. This entailed shifting from a faculty-perceived narrow agricultural production perspective to one of a multi-discplinary rural development focus. The focus of this systems inquiry is that of a marketer examining a well-established faculty task (function), with the objective of determining how well that task is being performed, and what (if any) remedial action is indicated. The inquiry indicates that there has been a failure to maximise potential in the faculty subsystem that is responsible for communication with concerned publics. The failure is general, in that it was not confined just to communication with employers of faculty outputs. All publics were involved; the faculty's separate messages were not being sensibly delivered to employers, prospective students, undergraduates, academic peers, and government. Analysis of the issues led to the development of a marketing (information) strategy that recognises the need to re-order the faculty's information-formulation and delivery subsystem. A series of proposals is advanced for consideration and debate by the Action Research Team as to which of these several actions should be considered as desirable and feasible for implementation. The estimated costs of implementation of the plan are presented on an item by item basis. / Master of Science (Hons)

This current research study is an outcome of the global expansion of English into the business world, the vigorous growth of the research in the area of English language acquisition as a second language and a global language, as well as of the researcher's passionate ESP teaching experience to university engineering students, and her pro-active engagement with Thai automotive engineers in the multi-national companies. Through investigating the English language learning and working experience of Thai automotive engineers, pictures about their needs on English language communication in the workplace are sketched; through looking into the perspectives of the university teachers and the international engineering professionals, the factors impacting on the needs of those automotive engineers in English language communication have been demonstrated. As a product of this research study, an ESP working syllabus has been designed to showcase the major findings of this stu dy, and to inform the current and future practices in English language learning and teaching for global engineers from the angles of program design. In light of the principles in second language learning and teaching, and of the theoretical framework in Global English, this research study has been designed with a multi-faceted research strategy, which interweaves qualitative and quantitative research paradigms, and consists of questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and case studies. The data obtained through this research strategy are analyzed through SPSS statistics, content analysis and triangulation. The research participants were recruited from two settings: automotive engineering workplace and technological educational institutions in Thailand. They include: 1) automotive engineers from an automotive-parts manufacturer, 2) foreign engineering professionals who co-work with the engineers from that manufacturing company, and 3) ESP teachers from the two selected technology universities of Thailand. The results from this study indicate that proficiency in English communication has not only become a global passport for Thai automotive engineers, but also for the engineering organisations. It works as a source of power for both employees and employers, if they own it, in entering global automotive business to effectively function and compete, but as a challenge for those who do not possess this asset. It is believed that enhancing their English language proficiency for engineers is a key toward their generic skills building. On the basis of the findings of this study, a 90-hour sample ESP syllabus spread out over a course of three months is developed. It employs an integrated model of syllabus design, having incorporated and balanced learner-centred approach, communicative approach and task-based approach. It combines classroom-based training sessions, self-directed learning and advisory sessions to introduce and strengthen the knowledge and skills and to mentor the engineers grow through the self-directed English learning process. Thus, the objectives of this sample ESP syllabus are to foster Thai engineers as not only proficient English communicators, but also as autonomous English learners. Through this learning process, they could get themselves better prepared for the challenges posed by this ever-changing world, while sowing seeds for nurturing future global leaders in the engineering profession.

This research was in the area of self-directed learning, largely resulting from the researcher's experience with it whilst in Australia. However, the intent of this study was to consider factors which would affect the implementation of self-directed learning principles into the Philippine context. Education in the Philippines can be described as primarily engaged in the transmission of knowledge. The structure and culture of education in the Philippines is one that largely supports a teacher-directed learning environment. Students are conditioned to be dependent on teachers and are used to studying with the security of a clear structural plan with very limited opportunities to apply self-directed learning principles. This approach to education produces static knowledge and denies the expression and cultivation of the learner. Hence, there is a need to promote self-directed learning as part of the curriculum. In attempting to introduce self-directed learning (SDL) in the Philippines, it is important to analyse student and instructor characteristics which could influence the extent to which it is applied in the undergraduate university curriculum. This research project gathers in-depth information on the conduciveness of integrating self-directed learning in the undergraduate curriculum of De La Salle University (DLSU) in the Philippines. This exploratory study aimed to respond to the statement "What is the level of readiness for self-directed learning of undergraduate students from De La Salle University? What are the student's perceptions of education, their role in the educational process, the role of peers and the role of their instructors? What is the instructor's education orientation? What are the perception of instructors on the purpose of education, the nature of learners, characteristics of learning experiences, management of learning experiences, evaluation and the relationship between the educators and learners and between learners themselves? Are these perceptions similar and would it be possible to introduce self-directed learning principles to an undergraduate curriculum for traditional students in De La Salle University?" The response to these questions could be used in determining whether self-directed learning principles could in fact be applied in the Philippines, as well as determine the appropriate balance of pedagogical and andragogical instruction techniques. Twenty-three instructors and one hundred students from De La Salle University in the Philippines participated in the study. Instructors completed the Educational Orientation Questionnaire and students completed the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Survey. Follow up intewiews were also conducted to confirm findings resulting from the survey. Findings indicate that instructors have an orientation that is a combination of both pedagogical and andragogical techniques and that students perceive themselves as having self-directed learning readiness. As a number of learning situations already utilise andragogical and self-directed learning principles, the challenge is to promote and encourage SDL and implement it on a wider scope. Some recommendations have been included in this research on how to implement it in De La Salle University.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine and describe the learning projects of a selected sample of small business owners in a community in the Southeastern United States. The study included the revision and modernization of Tough’s (1971) Learning Project Interview Schedule. A total of 35 small business owners were interviewed using a modified version of Tough’s Learning Project Interview Schedule. The schedule consisted of 10 learning project and seven demographic items that were adapted or created by a collaborative research team at the University of Tennessee using Tough’s (1971) Interview Schedule. Data revealed that participants had a mean of 6.8 learning projects conducted over the previous 12-months. The learner was the primary planner of 55.9% of all learning projects with a mix of planners used in 22.7% of cases. This study found that African-Americans identified the learner as the primary planner in 71.9% of learning projects, higher than the overall mean. Demographic information revealed that a large majority (88.6%) of participants had at least an intermediate computer skill level. This was reflected in the use of technology for learning projects. The Internet was indicated as a resource in 43.3% of learning projects and was second only to print sources (54.2%). Technology played a key role in the learning projects of small business owners as it acted as both a primary source of information and as a secondary source for finding additional resources including content experts, print sources, and multimedia. Recommendations for further research include the need for additional studies on the preferences for, and impact of using technology for conducting learning projects. Specifically, research may explore the learner’s perception of benefits of various forms of technology for conducting learning projects.

Aim: This paper is a report on a study that explored the professional development of intensive care unit nurses in journal clubs. Background: Evidence-based practice is important in nursing care (Krom, Batten, & Bautista, 2010). However few nurses feel comfortable using evidence to guide their practice (Pravikoff, Tanner, & Pierce, 2005). Journal clubs are a way to establish science as conversation (Wright, 2004) and foster knowledge translation for evidence-based nursing practice (Goodfellow, 2004). Methods: Monthly journal club meetings were held with the participation of a total of 71 healthcare professionals (65 nurses, 2 physicians, 2 pharmacists, 1 physiotherapist, and 1 respiratory therapist), who worked in two intensive care units of an Ontario hospital. After six months of meetings, 21 individual interviews were conducted with nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and nurse educators. Additional data collection included two focus groups, surveys, a review of staff meeting minutes, and researcher field notes. Findings: Journal clubs provided nurses with incentive to read research articles, improved nurses’ confidence in reading research, created a community of peers who worked collaboratively to improve clinical practice, provided a structure for nurses to reflect-on-practice, and led to reported changes in clinical practice. However, the data suggests that any gains in competence of nurses with the critical appraisal of research articles were probably modest. Barriers to participating in journal clubs and evidence-based practice are also identified. Conclusion: Journal clubs can foster knowledge translation and evidence-based practice through creating a community of practice and by providing nurses with motivation, structure, and confidence to read research articles. However, nurses reported a lack of critical appraisal skills and uncertainty about how to implement evidence into practice. Journal clubs may have a greater impact when implemented alongside other knowledge translation strategies such as working with clinical nurse specialists in order to enhance evidence-based practice.