SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING OF INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFE-LONG LEARNING

Abstract

The world is changing in such a frantic pace that demands us to continuously grow and develop. Otherwise, we will soon be left behind. Therefore, we all need to be life-long learners in the 21st century. To promote life-long learning, no one can deny the important role of self-directed learning (SDL). The concept of SDL relates to a learner’s responsibility for his/her own learning and ability to manage his/her learning process. Due to the acknowledge of its increasing importance, SDL becomes an essential goal of higher education as well as a wide body of education research. In the present study, the self-rating scale of SDL developed by Cadorin et al. (2013) is employed to assess SDL abilities of Bachelor students in Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH). Based on their experience, 1132 students were asked to fill a paper or online questionnaire involved in 8 components of SDL: leaning motivation, awareness, attitude, learning Strategies, learning methods, learning activities, interpersonal skills and constructing knowledge. Then data obtained were processed quantitatively and explained in detail from the tables obtained. According to the results, the university students' SDL scores were above the median score of the scale; however, the students still have problems in their SDL. So that this study suggests appropriate solutions for both students and lecturers in order to tackle all their problems related to SDL. Moreover, management implications are also presented to provide the university’s relevant units with useful information in developing policies and action plans to effectively improve the students’ SDL.