Adults’ self-education as the means of personality development

Straipsnyje aptariama suaugusiųjų gyventojų savišvietos problemos svarba ir savišvietos vieta neformalaus švietimo sistemoje. Remiantis Utenos rajono suaugusiųjų gyventojų tyrimais, siekiama nustatyti skaitymo, radijo bei televizijos laidų, taip pat bibliotekų ir kitų kultūros švietimo įstaigų reikšmę bei efektyvumą profesiniam bei dvasiniam asmenybės tobulėjimui, žmogaus socialinei saviraiškai. Faktai ir mintys straipsnyje pagrįstos minėtų problemų konkretaus tyrimo duomenimis, kurie spaudoje skelbiami pirmąjį kartą. Konstatuojama, kad nuolatos besikeičianti aplinka bei ekonominė situacija skatina dabarties žmogų atnaujinti turimas žinias ir gebėjimus, kad šiuolaikinė visuomenė yra neįsivaizduojama be neformalios švietimo sistemos, skirtos profesiniam tobulėjimui ir asmenybės vystymuisi bei jos savirealizacijai socialinėje bendruomenėje.Modem man must be able not only to learn but also to look actively for knowledge, information by himself, to determine his position in changing society. Self-education comes to help here. Self-education can be perceived as individual work (reading books, magazines, newspapers) that can be coordinated with collective forms of work (courses, seminars, lectures). Therefore, it can be asserted that self-education is mostly individualized activity of cognition helping to develop versatile and harmonious personality interested not only in the field of professional activities but in politics, aesthetics, moral as well. Research aim is to analyze adults’ self-education as a mean for personal improvement by giving recommendations how self-education could be made more efficient. The research was carried out from December 2004 to February 2005 seeking to disclose the needs of self-education of adult residents of Utena region as well as possibilities for their satisfaction. The method of random selection was applied in the research. Over 300 respondents were questioned by the means of questionnaires. The research was carried out in Utena A. ir M Miškinių Public Library and in libraries of Užpaliai and Vyžuonos rural districts. The residents of Utena town and region have broad possibilities for self-education. The sources of self-education of adults of Utena region are public library in the town, its branches in the town and countryside, school libraries, bookshops, concert institutions, houses of culture, non-governmental organizations, museums, cinemas, television, radio, subscription editions, personal libraries, libraries and editions of friends and colleagues. The research allows asserting that adult residents of Utena town and region have the use of services rendered by all institutions and organizations but they prefer libraries that satisfy the needs of residents most of all