Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs, pp.135-14 http://dx.doi.org/1.14257/astl.215.92.28 Diffrnc in Charactristics of Slf-Dirctd Larning Radinss in Studnts Participating in Larning Communitis Hur, Young Ju *, L, Suk Yol ** * Gnral Education, Namsoul Univrsity, 91 Dahak-ro Songhwan-up Sbuk-gu Chonan-si Chungchongnam-do S.KOREA Email: youngju@nsu.ac.kr ** Gnral Education, Namsoul Univrsity, 91 Dahak-ro Songhwan-up Sbuk-gu Chonansi Chungchongnam-do S.KOREA Abstract. This study aims to conduct an analysis of charactristics of studnts who participat in larning communitis, and to obsrv how this influncs th improvmnt of thir slf dirctd larning ability. Th subjcts of this study wr 239 univrsity studnts participating in th larning community program, and incrasd slf-dirctd larning ability lvls wr analyzd basd on qustionnairs compltd bfor and aftr th program. According to th rsults, thr was a significant incras in slf-dirctd larning ability of studnts that participatd in study groups. In particular, th rason for th incras found in th sub-factors, Commitmnt and Prsistncy, Intrst and Enthusiasm, Ability To B Awar Of Lad Rols. Th rsults show fmal studnts mor than mal studnts, sophomor studnts mor than frshman, humanitis and libral arts studnts mor than crativ arts studnts incrasd thir slf-dirctd larning radinss. Kywords: larning community, slf-dirctd larning ability, slf-dirctd larning radinss, larning community of univrsitis, larning ability. Rsarch Objctiv A larning community rfrs to a group of popl with similar intrsts that study togthr on a particular topic or issu [1, 2]. For larning community activitis, studnts hav control ovr larning and, as a typical larning community will study with mutual dpndnc on on anothr, th studnts' sns of community and problm solving abilitis incrass [3], and has th advantag of fostring th studnts' slf-dirctd larning ability [4]. Slf-dirctd larning rfrs to taking prsonal rsponsibility for larning, larning whil approaching problms as challngs, and having th nthusiasm to accpt th challng [5]. In our rapidly changing knowldg-basd socity, slfdirctd larning is rcognizd to b on of th ky factors ndd for acadmic ISSN: 2287-1233 ASTL Copyright 215 SERSC
Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs achivmnt for studnts, and th fact that participating in larning communitis can improv slf-dirctd larning abilitis mans study groups ar vry significant ducational activitis. This study aims to conduct an analysis of charactristics of studnts who participat in larning communitis, and to obsrv how this influncs th improvmnt of thir slf-dirctd larning ability. 1. Rsarch Targt Audinc and Mthodology 1.1. Rsarch Targt Audinc Th subjcts of this study wr 239 of th 25 studnts attnding N univrsity in 214 and participating in th larning community program during scond smstr. Th rsults wr collctd from th qustionnairs that wr conductd bfor and aftr participation. Th gnral charactristics of th rsarch targt audincs ar shown in <Tabl 1>. Tabl 1. Gnral Charactristics of Rsarch Subjcts Gndr N(%) Yar N(%) Major N(%) Mal 92(38.5) 1 59(24.7) Humanitis/Libral Arts 82(34.3) Fmal 147(61.5) 2 58(24.3) Businss 36(15.1) 3 85(35.6) Enginring/Scincs 55(23.) 4 37(15.5) Halth Scincs 33(13.8) Prforming/Crativ Arts 33(13.8) Total 239(1) 239(1) 239(1) 1.2. Rsarch Tools In this study, Guglilmino s (1997) Slf-Dirctd Larning Radinss Scal (SDLRS) was usd in our Koran qustionnair to masur th slf-dirctd larning radinss of studnts who participatd in larning communitis [6]. Th qustionnair, asking about th studnt s study habits, attituds to larning and lvl of prfrnc, consistd of a total of 58 qustions and ach qustion rspons was on a fiv point scal (-4 points), and was adjustd to 26 qustions aftr a scondary factor analysis. Factor analysis was conductd using th masurd rsults. This study uss principal componnt analysis to conduct factor analysis, and varimax rotation was implmntd among orthogonal rotation mthods for factor rotation. Componnts with ignvalus qual or gratr than on wr slctd, xtracting six componnts. Ths six principal componnts can xplain 57.63% of th total variation. Th rsult matrics of th rotatd factors ar prsntd in <Tabl 2> and 136 Copyright 215 SERSC
Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs ach qustion was rnamd aftr slf-dirctd larning radinss sub-factors. Th Cronbach α was calculatd to chck th rliability of th xtractd factors. Tabl 2. Factor Analysis and Rliability of Study Habits of Studnts Participating in Larning Communitis Factor Scor Qustion Cronbach α Crativ 5 qustions 2 points 3, 16, 18, 19, 25.784 Accpting Prsonal Rsponsibility Commitmnt & Prsistnc 7 qustions 28 points 5, 7, 11, 2, 21, 22, 24.782 4 qustions 16 points 1, 8, 9, 31.62 Intrst & Enthusiasm 3 qustions 12 points 12, 26, 27.671 Confidnc in On s Fundamntal Larning Ability Ability To B Awar Of Lad Rols Total 2 qustions 8 points 6, 17.636 5 qustions 2 points 2, 4, 28, 29, 3.614 26 qustions 14 points.855 1.3. Analysis Mthodology A frquncy analysis was conductd on th gnral charactristics of studnts that participatd in larning communitis. In addition, a matching T-Tst was conductd on th rsults of th bfor and aftr slf-dirctd larning radinss scal qustionnairs conductd. All analyss wr procssd using SPSS 18. for Windows. 2. Analysis Rsults Whn xamining th incrasd lvls of slf-dirctd larning radinss of studnts who activly participatd in larning communitis, th pr-study group avrag was 71.46, and th post-study group avrag incrasd to 73.78, showing a statistically significant diffrnc. To xamin in dtail, thr was a statistically significant diffrnc btwn th sub-factors of Commitmnt and Prsistncy, Intrst and Enthusiasm and Ability to b awar of lad rols. Ovrall, it can b sn that participating in larning communitis improvs studnt s slf-dirctd larning radinss (Rfr to Tabl 3). Copyright 215 SERSC 137
Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs Tabl 3. Diffrncs Of Incrasd Lvls Of Slf-Dirctd Larning Radinss Of Studnts Who Activly Participatd In Larning Communitis Catgory Bfor Aftr Subfactor Crativ 13. 78 Accpting Prsonal Rsponsibility Commitmnt & Prsistnc Intrst & Enthusiasm Confidnc in On s Fundamntal Larning Ability Ability To B Awar Of Lad Rols M SD M SD 2. 9 31 9.5 5.5 6 23 Slf-dirctd Larning Radinss Scal 71. 46 3.3 3 3.1 4 2.4 7 1.9 1.4 3 2.4 7 1. 55 14. 6 2. 31 9 9.9 5.6 7 95 73. 78 3.1 4 3.5 6 2.3 1.7 2 1.3 2 2.4 6 4 t 1.1.628 2.716** 2.41**.811 3.288*** 2.3* Furthrmor, whn comparing lvls of improvd slf-dirctd larning radinss of studnts who activly participatd in larning communitis concrning gndr, th lvl of improvd slf-dirctd larning radinss was highr in fmal studnts than mal studnts. In particular, fmal studnts xhibitd improvmnt in all sub-factors; statistically significant diffrncs ar prsnt. On th othr hand, only Ability To B Awar Of Lad Rols improvd for mal studnts. Sophomor studnts (scond yar) had th most improvd slf-dirctd larning radinss ability than othr yar studnts. In th cas of frshmn, thr was no significant improvmnt in any sub-factor. In trms of dpartmnts, studnts in humanitis and libral arts improvd slf-dirctd larning radinss ability th most compard to othr dpartmnts. In contrast, prforming and crativ arts studnts show littl to no improvmnt in any sub-factors. Consquntly, studnt larning communitis prsntd significant lvls of improvmnt for studnts for slf-dirctd larning radinss, spcially th sub-factors of Commitmnt and Prsistncy, Intrst and Enthusiasm and Ability To B Awar Of Lad Rols. In addition, th lvl of improvmnt of slf-dirctd larning abilitis diffrs according to charactristics of studnts that participatd in larning communitis (Rfr to <Tabl 4>). 138 Copyright 215 SERSC
Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs G n d r Y a r D p a r t m n t N Mal 92 Fmal Tabl 4. Diffrncs Of Incrasd Lvls Of Slf-Dirctd Larning Radinss s sub factor Of Studnts Who Activly Participatd In Larning Communitis 147 1 59 2 58 3 85 4 37 Huma nitis Busin ss Engin ring Halt h Scin cs Crati v Arts 82 36 55 33 33 Crativ Crativ Sub-factor (M, SD, t) Crativ Crativ Crativ Crativ Bfor Aftr Bfor Aftr Bfor Aftr Bfor Aftr Bfor Aftr Bfor Aftr 14.5 (2.93) 13.2 (2.78) 2.97 (3.76) 19.12 (3.45) 98 (2.4) 17 (1.99) 9.55 (2.5) 9.59 (1.62) 5.71 (1.5) 5.39 (1.18) 3 (2.47) -2.546* -3.181** -2.597*.118-1.555 2.31* 13.61 (3.56) 14.71 (3.19) 19.54 (3.86) 21.6 (3.44) 1.89 (2.43) 12.36 (2.37) 9.46 (1.81) 1.9 (1.76) 5.47 (1.38) 5.84 (1.39) 18 (2.48) 3.35** 3.694*** 5.357*** 3.69** 2.242* 2.578* 13.97 (3.46) 13.49 (2.39) 2.76 (3.83) 19.69 (3.19) 29 (2.44) 36 (1.81) 9.56 (1.59) 9.88 (1.57) 5.36 (1.32) 5.41 (1.13) 51 (2.2) -.984-1.566 -.17 1.393.211-1.188 13.66 (3.22) 15.3 (3.41) 19.83 (3.9) 2.79 (4.16) 1.78 (2.42) 12.34 (2.33) 9.17 (2.1) 9.9 (1.78) 5.66 (1.37) 5.74 (1.46) 1.76 (2.71) 2.168* 1.31 3.676*** 2.47*.329 3.339*** 13.95 (3.33) 14.7 (3.39) 2.29 (3.98) 2.4 (3.79) 45 (2.59) 89 (2.55) 9.65 (2.9) 9.85 (1.91) 5.65 (1.53) 5.72 (1.42) 11 (2.7).239.164 1.121.68.289 3.9** 13.27 (3.36) 13.41 (2.89) 18.97 (3.52) 2.35 (2.35) 86 (2.23) 12.11 (2.26) 9.57 (1.57) 1.3 (1.44) 5.54 (1.45) 5.84 (1.14) 78 (2.7).222 2.217*.465 1.289 1.121.629 13.95 (3.41) 14.96 (3.21) 19.85 (3.99) 21.26 (3.63) 12 (2.51) 12.34 (2.38) 9.4 (1.69) 1.32 (1.84) 5.57 (1.33) 5.57 (1.43) 41 (2.55) 2.111* 2.284* 3.39*** 3.36***. 2.323* 13.78 (3.73) 14.44 (2.82) 19.47 (3.98) 2.61 (2.6) 28 (2.28) 12.6 (2.24) 9.97 (1.83) 1.11 (1.1) 5.61 (5.58) 5.58 (1.3) 1.97 (2.34) -.836-1.41-1.447 -.389.8-2.154* 13.4 (3.17) 12.65 (2.72) 2.35 (3.73) 18.4 (3.41) 69 (2.24) 7 (2.14) 9.33 (1.8) 9.2 (1.86) 5.27 (1.41) 5.18 (1.6) 16 (2.49) -1.346-2.713** -1.63 -.386 -.393 1.646 14. (3.17) 14.48 (3.43) 2.39 (3.73) 21.94 (3.62) 64 (2.67) 12.45 (2.39) 9.58 (1.71) 1.39 (1.69) 5.76 (1.48) 6.7 (1.16) 1.82 (2.33).659 1.438 1.193 1.831 2.658* 2.65* 13.79 (3.21) 13.3 (2.82) 2.64 (3.93) 19.45 (3.) 1.85 (2.75) 48 (1.99) 9.42 (2.69) 9.27 (1.31) 5.76 (1.62) 5.76 (1.12) 55 (2.58) -.738-1.324 1.14 -.289. -1.741 12.1 (2.38) 9 (2.52) 7 (1.76) 12.28 (3.2) 12.24 (2.43) 12.16 (2.29) 12.45 (3.2) 12. (1.41) 84 (1.71) 97 (2.98) 1.79 (1.98) Copyright 215 SERSC 139
Advancd Scinc and Tchnology Lttrs 4 Conclusion and Suggstions Th slf-dirctd larning radinss scal of studnts participating in larning groups is improvd yt thr ar diffrncs btwn improvmnt lvls basd on charactristics and sub-factors. It is obsrvd that of th sub-factors, Commitmnt and Prsistncy, Intrst and Enthusiasm and Ability to b awar of lad rols ar improvd. In contrast, dspit participating in larning groups, th sub-factors of Crativ, Awarnss of Prsonal Rsponsibility for Study, Confidnc in On s Fundamntal Larning Ability and othr catgoris, wr not improvd. Obsrving charactristics of studnts, larning communitis xrtd grat influnc on improving slf-dirctd larning radinss for fmal studnts, sophomors, humanitis and libral arts studnts. On th othr hand, larning communitis did not xrt much influnc for mal studnts, frshmn and prforming and crativ arts studnts. This study rcognizs th nd for futur rsarch into whthr th caus of ths rsults to b poor managmnt of larning communitis. Rfrncs 1. Eraut, M., Maillardt, F. J., Millr, C., Stadman, S., Ali, A., Blackman, C. & Furnr, J.(22). Concptual analysis of rsarch qustions: do th concpts of larning community and community of practic provid addd valu? In: AERA Confrnc, Nw Orlans. 2. Kim, J, G.(29). Th rlationship btwn th larnr s prcption of a sns of community and larning radinss and larning ffctivnss in th onlin larning nvironmnt. Journal of Larnr-Cntrd Curriculum and Instruction, 9(1), 73-92. 3. Kang, H. J., & Kim J. S.(212). Th ffcts of larning community program on collg studnts' sns of community and problm-solving capacity. Journal of Liflong Education, 18(1), 1-22. 4. Choi, I. S., & So, L. W.(28). Rlations among study group activity, slf-dirctd larning and school adjustmnt bhaviors in collg studnts. Th Journal of Humanitis, 35(2), 411-441. 5. Taylor, B.(1995). Slf-dirctd larning: Rvisiting an ida most appropriat for middl school studnts. ERIC documnt ED 395287. 6. Guglilmino, L. M.(1977), "Dvlopmnt of th Slf-Dirctd Larning Radinss Scal". Doctoral Dissrtation. Univrsity of Gorgia. 14 Copyright 215 SERSC