Work in progress: How do first-year engineering students develop as self-directed learners?

Although self-direction is among the most critical skills required of today's engineering graduates, the complex processes through which individuals develop the attitudes, beliefs, and skills of lifelong, self-directed learners remains unclear. In this ongoing mixed-methods investigation, we draw on existing motivation and self-regulated learning theories to examine how undergraduate students at two institutions develop as self-directed learners during their first two years of their engineering programs. Preliminary findings indicate that both groups of first-year students make progress as self-directed learners, even after their first semester of college. However, the data indicate marked differences in specific areas of self-directed learner growth at the two institutions. Compared to those at the large public university, students at the small private college report stronger learning goal orientations, help-seeking behaviors, and metacognitive strategy use. We discuss how the learning opportunities and environments may contribute to these differences in learner development.