scholarly journals The autonomy of informal STEM and benefits of andragogy with gifted children

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E. Calabrese ◽  
Robert M. Capraro
Keyword(s):  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Honors Students ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gray Area ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose In distinguishing the education of adults from the education of children, a gray area lies on where to classify gifted and honors students. The purpose of this study was to determine if the attitudes of students at an honors STEM summer camp paralleled the educational needs of adults, namely self-directed learning.Design/methodology/approach Researchers analyzed survey responses through an exploratory factor analysis and five t tests.Findings The interpretation of the effect sizes showed that after engaging in a self-directed learning experience, students expressed more positive self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, experienced reduced extrinsic motivation and anxiety, and were less task-completion oriented.Originality/value The results suggest that gifted and honors students may have a propensity to learn that is more similar to that of adults rather than their same-age peers.

Does culture or self-directed learning drive online performance?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Wang ◽  
Chang Xiong ◽  
Jiajun Liu
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Orientation ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe foundations of internally driven discipline are similar to self-directed learning (SDL). This study examines the effect of cultural orientation and SDL on the online performance of college students. It investigates how college students pursue SDL while maintaining a collectivist cultural orientation in their learning experience. It explains why students prefer SDL to learning constrained by an externally enforced discipline.Design/methodology/approachThe explanatory sequential mixed-method design uses a quantitative method, followed by qualitative enquiry. The research was conducted in an undergraduate non-credit online course in China.FindingsThe findings show that cultural orientation has no impact on students' online performance, while SDL abilities are positively related to it. When fully mediated by SDL, a horizontal-collectivist culture has a positive effect on students' online performance.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected in a non-credit online college course, where the final assessment used a peer-rating approach and team members shared the same final score. This scoring method may not fully reflect each student's online performance.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that, when considering cultural influence on student performance, researchers should consider learning contexts, including educational level and learning mode. This study validates that colleges should focus on ability and skill development that enhance internal motivation to improve students' online performance, rather than focussing on their beliefs.Originality/valueThis paper introduces evidence to support the impact of culture on college students' online performance, showing that SDL abilities can drive performance.

Technology and Learner Autonomy: An Argument in Favor of the Nexus of Formal and Informal Language Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Lai
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Technology Aids ◽  
Constructed Self ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis article discusses some of the current research on technology in relation to learner autonomy, outlining major findings on the relationship between technology and learner autonomy in formal and informal learning contexts. Extant literature has discussed both teacher-initiated technology-enhanced formal learning environments and learner-constructed self-directed learning experience in informal learning contexts. Although valuable in the insights it provides into how technology aids learner autonomy, the two bodies of literature have largely been independent from each other, which may constrain our understanding.

scholarly journals A Case Study on the Self-directed English Learning Experiences of Korean College Students Using Self-coaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 199-214
Author(s):  
Seongjhin Joh ◽  
Byungsun Kim
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Korean College Students ◽  
Colaizzi's Method ◽  
Learning English

The purpose of this study is to analyze the English learning experience of college students using Colaizzi's method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, using self-coaching technology as a tool to improve self-directed learning ability. In-depth interview were conducted to collect data, and 9 significant statements, 4 theme clusters, and 2 categories were derived. The results are as follows. First, it showed that the participants clearly set the reasons and goals for learning English. Second, it was confirmed that they had time to return to the positive motivation they experienced in the past and strengthened their will to overcome difficulties caused by self-coaching. Third, it was reported that they had a valuable experience of asking the questions presented for the first time, and they recollected the feelings of when they happily learned English, thereby gaining new vitality for learning English. Finally, it also showed that they experienced risk factors such as a desire to procrastinate, a desire to give up, and a rush to complete a task due to difficulty in self-control, which could lead to poor learning. Based on these results, it was suggested that self-coaching contributed to the improvement of learning English, the importance of questions, necessary factors when expanding to regular classes, and the expansion of coaching research.

Transforming Online Learning Beyond the Digital Data

2020 ◽  
pp. 182-201
Author(s):  
Haniffa Beevi Abdul Jaleel ◽  
Pauline Teo Hwa Ling
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Higher Order Thinking ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Character Building

Experiential Online Classroom (ExOC) for Introduction to Business Presentation under the English 1 module at Taylor's University has expanded the landscape of blended learning from self-directed learning to experiential learning through participation in an online learning environment (OLE). The ExOC has been completely modernised and humanised to shape students' skills in a business presentation by building intangible elements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR), which are character building, higher order thinking, soft skills, and lifelong learning. Human touch to technology-based content encourages students to build a community virtually, which naturally gives a deep learning experience with greater engagement. This chapter explains the design and development Introduction to Business Presentation MOOC as a modernised and humanised blended learning method that transformed online learning. Finally, the preliminary impacts of students' participation and engagement in using the MOOC are also discussed.

Promoting self-directed learning using a menu of assessment options: the investment model

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Rangachari
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Investment Model ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Science

Undergraduate science students took an Inquiry course in their second (sophomore) year. The course was designed to explore the social life of scientific knowledge. They were given a set of eight assessment options: personal logs, targeted oral examinations, commentaries, mini-lectures, individual explorations, research proposals, book reviews, and problem-solving exercises. Each option had a specific maximum mark (percentage or grade point) associated with it. Students were permitted to select any set of options to obtain their total grade for the course. From the student’s perspective, the course provided a valuable learning experience and enabled them to recognize the complexities involved in the process of generating scientific information and making it useful and relevant to the public. The opportunity given to select their own assessment options enhanced their learning. For me, as the sole instructor managing 51 students, the experience was rewarding.

Beyond students’ perceptions: investigating learning presence in an educational blogging community

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanassios Jimoyiannis ◽  
Panagiotis Tsiotakis
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Educational Blogging ◽  
Course Features ◽  
Blended Course ◽  
Learning Presence

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated framework for designing and investigating students’ engagement patterns and learning presence in educational blogs. The framework was grounded on the ideas of self-directed and reflective learning, and was applied to analyse students’ blogging activities in the context of an undergraduate course. Design/methodology/approach The proposed research framework was organized along three dimensions: content artefacts, blogging processes and community building. With regard to the methodological tools used, this study integrates content analysis of students’ posts using the framework of community of inquiry, the representation of learning mapping and social network analysis methods. Findings The results have revealed important information about the different ways of students’ engagement and learning presence within the blogging groups, the contribution and the influence each student had, as well as the structure and the cohesion of the learning community developed around the blogging project. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are limited by the blended course features, the specific sample and the context of implementation. Future research needs to consider and analyse students’ lurking or invisible presence in educational blogging communities. Practical implications This study has yielded promising results with regard to the design of educational blogs in higher education that aim to enhance students’ engagement, reflection, collaboration and self-directed learning. Originality/value The originality concerns the proposed conceptual framework which can guide the design, monitoring and analysis of blogging processes in order to reveal students’ learning presence within self-directed communities of blogging.

scholarly journals Examining the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities in relation to entrepreneurial learning processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1085-1105
Author(s):  
Sarah Preedy ◽  
Paul Jones ◽  
Gideon Maas ◽  
Hilary Duckett
Keyword(s):  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Entrepreneurial Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Capabilities ◽  
Directed Learning

PurposeThis study contributes towards increased understanding of the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an entrepreneurial learning perspective. Past decades have witnessed a global increase in the provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education alongside a growing suite of extracurricular enterprise activities. However, there is a paucity of research examining how entrepreneurial learning might be understood in the context of these activities.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an empirical study of student and educator participants across 24 United Kingdom (UK) universities using semi-structured surveys and in-depth interviews. Three main learning theories drawn from the entrepreneurial learning literature: experiential, social and self-directed learning provided a conceptual framework to frame the research phenomenon.FindingsFindings posit that extracurricular enterprise activities provide perceived value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for students. However, these activities are restricted in enabling the experiential learning cycle to be completed due to limited reflection opportunities. Positioning these extracurricular activities outside the main curriculum also empowers participants to self-direct aspects of their learning and develop their autonomous learning capabilities.Originality/valueThe existing literature focusses upon the entrepreneurial learning processes of established entrepreneurs rather than latent and nascent entrepreneurs within a higher education (HE) setting. The limited literature examining HE entrepreneurial learning does so by concentrating upon entrepreneurial learning resulting from in-curricular activities. This study offers novel insights into students’ entrepreneurial learning processes, highlighting the importance of experiential, social and self-directed learning opportunities to the entrepreneurial learning process and the perceived value of extracurricular activities as a platform for these types of learning.

Gamification effects on users' motivation to contribute knowledge in a Portuguese Q&A community

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Oliveira Jordao do Amaral ◽  
Minhyung Kang
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Flow State ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Knowledge Contribution ◽  
Survey Responses

PurposeThis research investigates the detailed mechanisms of how gamification affordances influence intrinsic and internalized extrinsic motivation and ultimately improve the quality and quantity of knowledge contribution.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses from 154 users of Stack Overflow in Portuguese were analyzed by the partial least squares–structural equation modeling approach to validate the research model.FindingsChallenge and goal setting influence individuals to reach the flow state, which increases the quantity of knowledge contribution. Rewards enhance the quality of knowledge contribution through perceived self-worth. Social comparison increases perceived reputation, but its impact does not ultimately lead to knowledge contribution.Originality/valueThe current study differentiated types of motivation and dimensions of knowledge contribution when exploring the effects of gamification affordances. This perspective was proven helpful to understand the various gamification affordances' influence on knowledge contribution.

How a learning organization cultivates self-directed learning

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Hutasuhut ◽  
Shahren Ahmad Zaidi Adruce ◽  
Victoria Jonathan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Five Disciplines ◽  
Directed Learning

Purpose This study aims to provide empirical evidence of how the five disciplines of learning organization introduced by Senge (1990) are practiced and how it could cultivate self-directed learning among employees. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used a case study approach to get an in-depth understanding of how organizational learning is practiced in an innovative motorcycle-manufacturing company in Indonesia. A total of 30 staff and managers were selected purposively and interviewed by using a semi-structured interview to gain information about their experience in practicing the 5 disciplines in their daily work–life. Among the 30 participants, 11 were at the managerial level and 19 were at the staff level. Data collected were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Findings This study provides empirical evidence of how self-directed learning is cultivated in an organization that applies the five disciplines of learning organization introduced by Senge (1990). This study found that to cultivate self-directed learning, an organization needs to build a working climate where the five disciplines are integrated into daily work–life. Organizations need to ensure that its vision is shared by each of the employee, build synergy for personal mastery and team learning, train their employees to continuously refine their mental models and improve their ability to think using a systems approach. Practical implications The implications and recommendations arising from this study, first, provide insight to managers and human resource (HR) practitioners about the importance of creating a conducive working environment for learning. Moreover, with learning facilities in the era of industrial revolution 4.0, organizations need to shift their attention on how to transfer the responsibility of learning to the hands of the employees and HR practitioners should focus on providing more opportunities for employees to direct their own learning. Second, to support a learning environment that is conducive for cultivating self-directedness in learning requires commitment from top leaders in the organization. Originality/value This study observed that Senge’s approach to organizational learning focuses heavily on the individual’s processes and the interactions between them. Further studies are suggested to integrate knowledge management, particularly on how new knowledge is gained, stored, created, used and disseminated under the five pillars of the learning organization. It is also recommended to look at a broader perspective, such as the role of technology in intensifying learning and the role of strategic leadership in learning.

Immersive live streaming experience in satisfying the learners’ need for self-directed learning

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ree Chan Ho ◽  
Bee Lian Song
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Live Streaming ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine live streaming experiences of business students’ at the tertiary education level, and how the use of this interactive platform satisfies their affective, cognitive, social and hedonic needs in learning. Likewise, it explored the influence of live streaming class on the learning outcome needed in achieving self-directed learning. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the uses and gratifications theory, a conceptual framework was developed to discover the impact of interactive live streaming platform in meeting learners’ needs required for self-directed learning. A survey was conducted with a sample of 402 business undergraduate students from 5 universities. Data was analyzed with covariance-based structural equation modeling. Findings This study confirmed that learners’ gratifications gained from live streaming encouraged them to collaborate with the instructors in meeting the learning outcomes. The findings also supported that the interactive nature of live streaming offers the opportunity for students to learn independently. Thus, it sheds new light on how a live streaming learning environment can be further developed in promoting self-directed learning. Originality/value This study offers a novel understanding of live stream class adoption by examining learners’ needs from a uses and gratification perspective. It also contributed new insight to the existing literature on live streaming technology use in education to promote self-directed learning.

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