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Self-Direction In Adult Learning: Effect Of Locus Of Control And Program Design On Learner Motivation And Training Utility, Nicole Cannonier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Andragogy and self-directed learning (SDL) have long been touted as pillars of adult learning theory, but much of the existing SDL research has been predicated on adult learner assumptions that have gone largely untested. This dissertation developed a model based on adult learning and training literatures to assess the antecedents and outcomes of adults’ preference for SDL. The model was tested on a sample of 277 adults participating in job-related training through a continuing education program at a university in the southern United States. Based on social learning theory, locus of control (LOC) was proposed as a predictor of motivation …