Research question: what are the individual-based and course-based factors that influence performance levels in a self-directed learning environment? Despite the evidence that there is a significant influence of self-directed learning on performance, there is limited documentation of the facts.
Proposed methods
The purpose of this study was to determine the individual-based factors and course-based factors that influence performance in self-directed learning. The proposed design of study included the use of questionnaires that test the students’ self-directed measurement. The questionnaire contained questions that enable the students to measure the level of self-directed learning influences their learning process. The answers that the students provided determine how each student learns new things, different ways of learning a new topic, the importance of learning how to learn, and the level of interest in learning something. Successfully answering the questionnaire provided the required statistics for coming up with the research hypothesis.
The proposed participants used in the study comprised of nursing students in one of the universities in the United States. Using a sample of 50 students, they represented the faculty of nursing students that the results would represent. The true experimental design was also applied to avoid digging too much information to the participants’ background information.
Proposed Materials and Apparatus
The instruments used in the research include English proficiency test and self-directed learning questionnaire. The test covered reading and writing skills with a maximum score of 50 points. The self-directed learning questionnaire consisted of various items and factors that influence the students’ ability for self-directed learning. The factors included in the questionnaires explored the students’ openness to learning opportunities, self-assessment of self-directed learning, love of learning, creativity, future orientation, the ability of independent learning, and ability to use learning and problem-solving skills. The questionnaire also had a scale structured for five responses ranging from very unlikely to very likely.
The procedure involved the participants filling out the questionnaire before doing a proficiency test. After the test, the participants underwent a lesson on self-directed learning. The participants then engaged in a post-test and another questionnaire on the opinion the participants had on the self-directed learning.
The proposed results include scores from the proficiency tests. The data from both the pre- and post-test scores were analyzed quantitatively using inferential and statistical procedures. A summary of the descriptive statistics of the questionnaire scores was tabulated and the mean and standard deviation calculated. The results arrived to determine if the hypothesis is accepted or rejected. The results of the proficiency scores of the participants that conducted the self-directed learning indicated that the students increase their learning abilities after carrying out the self-directed learning. The mean score of the post-test was higher than it was in the pre-test score. Of the 50 participants, most of the students scored lower marks before the self-directed study while they scored high marks after the self-directed test.
Proposed Discussion
The study aimed to infer the extent to which self-directed learning influences students’ ability to improve their learning opportunities. From the results, students that engaged in self-directed studies scored better in proficiency studies that those that did not. Other factors may also influence the learning capability, but the self-directed studies influenced the ability more. The restatement of the hypothesis is that self-direct learning helps students to perform better in their studies compared to those that do not carry out the self-directed learning.
The results from this study indicate that at the beginning of the program, the mean score was relatively lower than the mean score after the self-directed study. This is an indication that self-directed study is an important method of improving the learning of nursing students. The study provided sufficient evidence that using self-learning activities. The self-learning activities help the learners to have more chances of planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning process. At the same time, this method is important in improving other skills of the learners including decision-making and analytical and critical thinking skills. The students get a chance of setting goals for their learning and become more responsible for their studies. The nursing students can improve their proficiency in their discipline of study by applying self-directed learning.
The results obtained in this study connect to past research findings that produced the same results. Chou (2012) found out that engineering students’ self-directed learning abilities in an online environment positively influenced their online learning performance. The findings from the research indicated that a high level of self-directed students performed better than those that did not practice self-directed learning. The results of the two studies emphasize the importance of self-directed learning in different fields of study. Chou further explains that self-directed learning abilities give the learners motivation to employ learning resources in solving problems pertaining to learning tasks. Additionally, there is evidence that self-directed learning influences performance outcomes in traditional or distance learning settings.
On the other hand, Kocaman, Dicle, " Ugur, (2009) researched self-directed learning outcomes in nursing education. The researchers conducted a longitudinal survey that explored the perceived changes in self-directed learning over a period of four years that nursing students completed their course. The participants completed the self-directed learning readiness scale at the beginning of each academic year. The results indicated that the scores of the students were significantly lower in the first academic year than in the subsequent academic years. The study also used sub-scales like the desire to learn, self-management, and self-control to determine the influence of self-directed learning on the participating students. The results also indicated a significant increase in these factors during the four-year program. Both studies indicate that self-directed learning has a significant influence on the learning and character building of the students’ character and improvement of performance.
An alternative explanation for results could be that the students perform better after the self-directed study improves performance due to the focus on problem-based learning. The self-directed approach is important in the structural approach of learning. The nursing students perform better because they identify the problem and apply evidence-based solutions to solve the problem. At the same time, the self-directed learning improves the students’ motivation and urge to explore more knowledge in the respective fields.
The limitations of research include the narrow scope of students that the research used to come up with conclusions. In future research, the scope of investigation should increase and involve students from other fields of study and study the trends. Another limitation of this research is that only one group was used to come up with the conclusions. Including another group to make comparisons would increase the credibility of the findings (Orawiwatnakul, " Wichadee, 2011). The results herein can be generalized and applied in other disciplines as the learning process is similar.
References
Chou, P. N. (2012). The relationship between engineering students' self-directed learning abilities and online learning performances: A pilot study. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 5(1), 33-38.
Kocaman, G., Dicle, A., " Ugur, A. (2009). A longitudinal analysis of the self-directed learning readiness level of nursing students enrolled in a problem-based curriculum. Journal of Nursing Education, 48(5), 286-290.
Orawiwatnakul, W. " Wichadee, S. (2011). A comparison of Students’ Outcome in Two Classes: Business Administration Students Vs. Communication Arts Students Based on Self-Directed Learning Activities. Bangkok University, Thailand, 23-32
