Learning for self-direction in the classroom: The pattern of a transition process

Abstract

A study of learners' weekly reports of experience in a course which promoted self-direction in their own course work revealed a considerable personal transition, something of a cultural journey. This contrasts with existing popular conceptions of what learning for self-direction implies for the learner (Knowles, 1975; Smith, 1982), namely, acquisition of new skills and ways to organise one's activities. The process pattern of four phases, phase transitions and their qualifying features is described, and practical implications discussed. Since this process representation was based on a study of eight learner's experiences over time in one particular graduate course, further study is required to establish the pattern's range of applicability. However, similarities between the pattern discerned in this study and other models of learning from experience and of adult life transitions support the relevance of the pattern of experience reported here.

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