ERIC Number: EJ1046078
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0729-4360
EISSN: N/A
Exploring the Mediating Role of Graduate Attributes in Relation to Academic Self-Directedness in Open Distance Learning
Coetzee, Melinde
Higher Education Research and Development, v33 n6 p1085-1098 2014
The objective of this study is to add to the extant literature on graduate attributes by examining the mediating role of global/moral citizenship and lifelong learning attributes in the relation between students' scholarship attributes and their academic self-directedness in a higher-education open distance learning (ODL) environment. The Graduate Skills and Attributes Scale and Adult Learner Self-directedness Scale were administered to a stratified proportional random sample of N?=?1102 undergraduate ODL students in the economic and management sciences field. Data analyses consisted of an analysis of correlations and two simple mediational models. The results revealed significant direct and indirect effects between the variables. The academic self-directedness of the participants was positively influenced by their scholarship, global/moral citizenship and lifelong learning attributes. The influence of scholarship attributes on academic self-directedness is significantly mediated through global/moral citizenship and lifelong learning attributes. These findings contribute new knowledge that informs the design of teaching and learning activities aimed at enhancing the academic self-directedness of students pursuing educational studies in an ODL environment.
Descriptors: Distance Education, Moral Values, Lifelong Learning, Higher Education, Open Universities, Graduates, Instructional Design, Independent Study, Measures (Individuals), Intercultural Communication, Cultural Awareness, Self Concept, Experiential Learning, Case Studies, Adult Students, Foreign Countries, Questionnaires, Likert Scales, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Statistical Analysis, Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A