Promoting self-directed learning skills in a first-year problem-based university program with a self-development intervention

This study investigated whether an intervention aimed at self-development would stimulate the self-directed learning skills of university students within a problem-based learning program. In a randomized controlled trial study, 408 first-year psychology students were randomly assigned to an experimental or control condition. During their courses, all students received the problem-based program, including feedback from their tutors on professional behaviour and study skills. Students in the experimental group also received an extra self-development intervention including two sessions with a mentor, during which students were asked to reflect on personal learning goals. At the beginning and end of the year, students’ self-directed learning skills were measured with two questionnaires. Over the year, students in the experimental group showed a larger increase in their self-control, in their ability to monitor improvement during task performance, and in their ability to evaluate process and outcome after task execution. Also, their willingness to invest study effort had not decreased, in contrast to students in the control group. These findings show that a relatively simple intervention making students reflect more on their self-development can have a significant effect on a number of relevant self-directed learning skills, even when added to a problem-based learning university program that is already focused on stimulating self-directed learning.