Originally published in 1991, this book provides the reader with a comprehensive synthesis of developments, issues and practices related to a self-direction in learning. it presents strategies for facilitating self-directed learning as an instructional method and for enhancing learner self-direction as an aspect of adult personality. The idea of self-directed learning is not a new one but has received renewed attention in education circles and has particular significance for the adult education sector.

Originally published in 1991, this book provides the reader with a comprehensive synthesis of developments, issues and practices related to a self-direction in learning. it presents strategies for facilitating self-directed learning as an instructional method and for enhancing learner self-direction as an aspect of adult personality. The idea of self-directed learning is not a new one but has received renewed attention in education circles and has particular significance for the adult education sector.

Today’s global educational environment includes the emergence of adult learners participating in formal and informal educational encounters for the purposes of professional development or personal enrichment. These learners must possess the conceptual and attitudinal idea of self-directed learning in order to be skilled workers and fulfilled human beings. Self-Directed Learning Strategies in Adult Educational Contexts is a critical scholarly publication that examines the impacts of self-directed learning methods and strategies on adult learning in various formal and informal learning situations and educational encounters. Featuring topics such as andragogy, learning analytics, and educational technologies, this book is geared toward adult educators, administrators, principals, professors, human resource managers, educational professionals, and researchers working in the fields of andragogy, adult learning theory, professional development, instructional technology, and curriculum development.

Heutagogy, or self-determined learning, redefines how we understand learning and provides some exciting opportunities for educators. It is a novel approach to educational practice, drawing on familiar concepts such as constructivism, capability, andragogy and complexity theory. Heutagogy is also supported by a substantial and growing body of neuroscience research. Self-Determined Learning explores how heutagogy was derived, and what this approach to learning involves, drawing on recent research and practical applications. The editors draw together contributions from educators and practitioners in different fields, illustrating how the approach can been used and the benefits its use has produced. The subjects discussed include: the nature of learning, heutagogy in the classroom, flexible curriculum, assessment, e-learning, reflective learning, action learning and research, and heutagogy in professional practice settings.

Whether it is earning a GED, a particular skill, or technical topic for a career, taking classes of interest, or even returning to begin a degree program or completing it, adult learning encompasses those beyond the traditional university age seeking out education. This type of education could be considered non-traditional as it goes beyond the typical educational path and develops learners that are self-initiated and focused on personal development in the form of gaining some sort of education. Essentially, it is a voluntary choice of learning throughout life for personal and professional development. While there is often a large focus towards K-12 and higher education, it is important that research also focuses on the developing trends, technologies, and techniques for providing adult education along with understanding lifelong learners’ choices, developments, and needs. The Research Anthology on Adult Education and the Development of Lifelong Learners focuses specifically on adult education and the best practices, services, and educational environments and methods for both the teaching and learning of adults. This spans further into the understanding of what it means to be a lifelong learner and how to develop adults who want to voluntarily contribute to their own development by enhancing their education level or knowledge of certain topics. This book is essential for teachers and professors, course instructors, business professionals, school administrators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the latest advancements in adult education and lifelong learning.

The purpose of the book is to present a comprehensive survey and analysis of the concept of self direction in learning, to trace its ideological roots, to examine its history, to explore its manifestations in various fields of education, and to provide some specific insights into strategies that may be used to induce or develop self direction in learners. Basically, then, the book is about the development and exercise of self directedness in learning, especially in adulthood. It celebrates individuality but at the same time recognises the essentially social nature of learning and of human existence. It attempts to reconcile and integrate ideas and practices - some very familiar and some quite novel - derived from many parts of the world, many domains and contexts of learning, and many historical periods. It is a tapestry woven from threads provided largely by others.