THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF - DIRECTED LEARNING IN TVET TO PREPARE FOR A PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE
Isma Widiaty, Antelas Eka W, Liunir Z ismakurniayahoo.co.id
Abstract
Facing the challenges of modern life in the 21st century, self-reliance is necessary to be able to adapt to various demands. Independence is a key for individuals to be able to direct themselves towards the goal in life.
Independence is supported by the personal qualities that are marked with a mastery of specific competencies, the consistency of its founding, creative in thinking and acting, able to control himself, and has a strong commitment
to the various think. In recent years, there has been intensive research into different aspects of self-directed learning. The promoting self-directed learning is asserted by making reference to the changes in economic
policy, society and work organization.
The findings of the self-directed learning such as finding Hargis in 2004 that individuals who have high self- sufficiency tend to learn better, able to monitor, evaluate, and manage learning effectively, save time in
completing tasks, managing learning and time efficiently, and gain high scores. This paper will discuss how to develop self-directed learning in TVET an effort to prepare for a productive work force.
Keywords: self-directed learning, TVET, work force.
___________________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
Self-directed learning has been known as a learning system applied in open-education or
remote education. However, not all the people, even academist, understand the concept of self-
directed learning. According to the writer’s experience, in college, most students do not well
comprehend the concept of self-directed learning or the other terms: individual learning, self-
learning, open or remote learning, etc. In this paper, the writer would like to share the idea of
self-directed learning and the application in education. Basically, self-directed learning system
can be applied in all education types: conventional and non-conventional. Aside from that. The writer
would also like to expose that learning independece is an asset in preparing graduates to be productive
manpowers. The writer hopes that the idea in this paper can enrich the pedagogical knowledge about
self-directed learning and the application of academists and another professionals in TVET.
2. Discussion
Learning activities in universities have several different characteristics with the ones in senior high
school. The most dominant characteristic is independence, both in learning practice and in self-
management. University students are forced to independently learn, browse and decide their own
learning material, to study and explore their own lesson material without supervision, control and
regulation from the lecturers. Moreover, university students have been considered mature enough in
managing their own life.
Self-directed learning can be seen as a process as well as a product. As a process method, self-
directed learning means that self-directed learning is a way to achieve the learning objectives.
Meanwhile, as a product objective, self-directed learning means that the students are expected to be
independent learners in the end of the learning process. In this second perspective, self-directed
learning is reputed as a life-skill that has to be mastered by everyone. According to a study,
industrial companies tend to require bussiness professionals who have self-directed learning skill,
because in bussiness context, every individual is expected to continually learn. Kirkpatrick, D.
20012 found that every bussiness institution require university graduates which are able to solve
problem, adopt with changes, and colaborate with another employee.
Independence in learning refere to specific ways of students in managing their work. Schunk
dan Zimmerman 19984 described independence that the learning process is part of the impact in
building the students thought, feeling, strategy and behavior which are oriented to the learning
objective achievement.
From the expositions above, it is clear that self-directed learningis not only a methodology, but
also an abjective. Self-directed learners have become wanted product by every educational
institution especially university because self- directed learners are also wanted by the work field.
Independence is something which is formed from accurate learning processes. Self-directed
behavior is a characteristic which is intentionally build, not something to appear by itself. In order to
build independence, lecturer directs, motivates, accomodates and evaluates the process of the
students self-directed learning, so that the classroom activity can be filled with conceptual
158
things and is a sort of confirmation occasion for the students to understand the material and task to be
done outside the classroom. In the other hand, the students are expected to do tasks which actually
they are able to do on their own with sufficient instruction from the lecturer. Therefore, the lecturer
can share more wisdom than technical problems so the classroom may have additional value.
Therefore, independence in learning has to be initiated from the first time the students enter the
university. It is possible if there is a sufficient handbook to be a guidance for the lecturer and the
students. To emphasize, independent behavior will be formed if the classroom activities is filled with
sufficient instruction from the lecturer. On the other hand, the students has to believe that the lecturer is
not the main source of knowledge. The main source of knowledge is provided in libraries and printed
and visual media. Chou 2008 listed the characteristic of
independence in learning, which are: a.
Independence. Self-directed learners are fully responsible people who can independently
analyze ,plan, execute, and evaluate their own learning activities.
b. Self-management. Self-directed learners can
identify what they need during the learning process, set individualized learning goals,
control their own time and effort for learning, and arrange feedbacks for their work.
c. Desire for learning. For the purpose of
knowledge acquisition, self-directed learners’ motivations for learning are extremely strong.
d. Problem-solving. In order to achieve the best
learning outcomes, self-directed learners make use of existing learning resources and feasible
learning strategies to overcome the difficulties which occur in the learning process.
Meanwhile, Song, Hill 2007
6
perspective about independence in learning will be presented on a table below:
Perspectives on Self Directed Learning Sumber : Song, Hill;2007
Lowry cited
from Sumarmo,2004
5
summarized suggestions from several writers about how to develop independence in learning for the
student, that the lecturers have to: Help the students to identify the starting point
in learning and to develop the relevant assessment and report.
Encourage the students to contextually see the truth and knowledge, to see the value of
framework as a social construction and to understand that the student may work
individually and in a team.
Create partnership among the students through aims, strategies, and evaluation criteria
negotiation. Help the students to arrange their priority for
formulating their learning objective. Encourage the students to arrrage achievable
objective through many ways and offer them several examples of worked performance.
Prepare several example of achieved tasks. Ensure the students to realize the formulated
aims, strategies,
sources and
learning evaluation criteria.
Train the students to inquire, make a decision, develop and evaluate themselves.
Play the role as a supervisor in seeking the learning sources.
Help in deciding learning sources which are appropiate with the students need.
Help the students to develop positive behavior and values.
Know the students learning and personality types.
Use real experiencing and pronlem solving technique as the bases of the adult learning
experience. Develop high quality learning guidance
covering programmed learning. However, the application of self-directed
learning has different consequences. Experts suggest several considerations in applying the self-
159
