Self Directed Learning

Many adults spend enough time gaining information and learning new skills. The speed of change, the continuous introduction of new knowledge, and an ever-increasing access to information requires such acquisitions necessary for the adult learner (Hiemstra, 1994). At the learner's initiative, much of this learning occurs even if it is done through formal means. Self-directed learning (SDL) is the common label given to such activity. In summary, self-directed learning is regarded as any study form in which a person has the elementary duty for planning, implementing, and even evaluating the effort. A number of people, when questioned, will give a preference for taking-up such responsibility anytime possible. A lot of things are known about self-directed

Self-Directed Learning as explained, is a deliberate (Hake, 1999) and self-planned (Tough, 1971) learning, in which the learner is the agent (Brockett &Hiemstra, 1991) and has absolute control (Carre, 2000) of the learning process. This therefore indicates that, learners steer the affairs of their learning process with no or little

According to Tough’s (1979) report, there are 26 steps on how the learner plans SDL process.

Much of Tough’s model concentrate on the numerous decisions in the beginning phases of the process. Knowles (1984) explained SDL in six sequential steps: climate setting, diagnosing learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing, and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning results.

Interactive models reveal that Self Directed Learning (SDL) is not as linear as Tough (1971) predicted. One model that integrates a number of factors in SDL is Spear and Mocker’s (1984) organizing circumstance. This model is based on three interactive fields: opportunities the person identifies in the environment, past or new knowledge the learner brings to the activity, and action the learner has taken to gain