Effects of Self-Directed Learning for Undergraduate Students in English Language Study

Abstract

This study aimed 1. to examine the effects of self-directed learning among undergraduate students based on assigned learning tasks and 2. to assess their self-directed learning processes through self-evaluation. The population and sample consisted of 39 second-year undergraduate students enrolled in a general education English course at a private college in Northern Thailand during the first semester of the 2025 academic year. The sample was selected purposively according to predetermined criteria. A mixed-methods design integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed, using a one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design following Best and Kahn (2006). The research instruments included a pretest–posttest achievement test and a 15-item student perception questionnaire. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, percentage, and dependent t-test.

The findings revealed that 1. the posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores at the .05 level, and 2. the students’ overall self-directed learning, as assessed through self-evaluation, was at a high level. The self-evaluation results further highlighted areas requiring improvement, including students’ ability to regulate distractions unrelated to learning, consistently monitor their progress while completing exercises, and evaluate their own work upon finishing English practice tasks.