The relationships between self-directed learning, critical thinking, and psychological type, and some implications for teaching in higher education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The ability to think critically and the willingness and capacity to engage in self-directed learning are considered important prerequisites for lifelong education. Research on self-directed learning and critical thinking, to date, has largely ignored individual differences among learners. This study explored the extent to which students' willingness and perceived capacity to engage in self-directed learning, and their ability to think critically, could be explained by their psychological type. The results indicated that extraverted intuition is a strong predictor for students' inclination to engage in self-directed learning. Psychological type did not appear to be a predictor for critical thinking ability. However, significant relationships were found between self-directed learning and critical thinking. It is argued in this article that educators can foster competence in self-directed learning by providing opportunities for students to develop both their intuition and logical reasoning skills. It is suggested that Kolb's dialectic model of experiential learning offers a framework which explains how both types of skill can be fostered in higher education.