An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Skills a mong the Iranian Agricultural Students (Case of Agricultural College, Tarbiat Modares University)

Abstract

The readiness for self-directed learning among the students and its role in improving life-long learning skills has been emphasized recen tly. The present descriptive study aimed at analyzing the self-directed learning skill s possessed by the students of agriculture at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (N= 414). As far as methodological design is concerned, the study has u tilized Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table, and stratified random sampling technique, th rough which 201 students were selected as sample (n= 201). From this, 193 student s filled and returned the research instrument (Return rate= 96%). A set of open ended questionnaires was developed, which was considered to be the main tool for the collecti on of required data. This prepared questionnaire was validated by a panel of experts o f agricultural extension and education, subsequently; its reliability was also checked and confirmed by Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient (0.78-0.83). The results showed that th e students could perceive the range of ‘moderate to high’ for all dimensions underlying se lf-directed learning skills. Based upon another part of results, the students with differen t educational levels, majors and grade point averages had different self-directed learning skills. It can be concluded that readiness for self-directed learning is a crucial f actor for all students and should be taken into consideration in education planning with regar d to each field. It is necessary to state that the educational system seeks to develop such s kills to promote self-management, self- monitoring, and self-motivating as well as SDL skil ls among the students. Keywords: Agricultural students, Iran, Life-long learning, Se lf-Directed Learning (SDL).