Do 21st Century Learning Environments Support Self-Directed Learning? Middle School Students ’ Response to an Intentionally Designed Learning Environment

Abstract: 21st Century Learning Frameworks identify Self-Directed Learning (SDL) as a being a critical skill for students. Little empirical research, however, is available regarding the SDL capabilities of younger students, particularly as they work and learn technology rich classroom contexts. This mixed-methods study focuses on examining the development of self-directed learning skills by middle school students as they engage in an intentionally designed, technology rich learning environment. Participants in the study were two groups of 6th graders in an upper middle class suburban school. One group worked in an innovative 21st century learning environment while the other group of students worked in the traditional classroom. The Self-Directed Learning with Technology Scale (SDLTS), an assessment focusing on younger learners, was utilized for the study to collect data in both environments. Student in both groups were interviewed to gather additional qualitative information regarding their experience with each of these environments. The results shows that students in the intentionally designed 21st century learning environment reported a higher perception of self-directedness than their traditional counterparts. Additionally, interviews suggest that the design of the environment provides the types of opportunities to allow for students to engage in topics of interest and problem solve collaboratively. We believe that these findings support the value of open-ended technology-rich environments for developing self-regulated learners. 21st Century Frameworks and Self-Directed Learning Self-directed learning is a concept present in many of the current frameworks on 21st Century Learning and has often been regarded as critical part of individualizing learning experiences (Caffarella, 1993). The P2