Date of Award
10-15-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Dr. Sherrie Wisdom
Second Advisor
Dr. Kevin Winslow
Third Advisor
Dr. Rebecca Foushee
Abstract
Andragogy is not dead; it may be simply lying dormant until its essential component, self-directed learning, revives it again. The fact is that self-directed learning can be formal or informal. This mixed methods study explored the informal side of self-directed learning, concentrating on self-help (a popularized form of personal development goalsetting). Despite a thriving self-help market, several personal development goal-setting programs focus more on goal achievement, little on goal planning, and even less on the individual. A comparative analysis of autonomous, guided, and self-directed personal goal-setting programs determined if self-directedness maximizes self-efficacy. Additionally, the researcher’s original Self-Directed Goal Theory and an extensive review of previous literature further investigated what role (if any) adult education, demographics, goal characteristics, self-regulation, personal development areas, goal timing, self-monitoring, locus of control, motivation, cognition, and virtue cultivation plays in self-efficacy enhancement and overall goal success.
Recommended Citation
Strickland, Tara N., "The Self-Directed Goal Theory Experiment: A Mixed Methods Study of Personal Development Goal-Setting Programs and Self-Efficacy" (2021). Dissertations. 674.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/dissertations/674
Rights
Copyright 2021