Intrinsic Motivation Creates Self-Direction
Passion and intrinsic motivation are primary sources of self-direction in learning and life. That's because passion is what naturally motivates someone to learn, try hard, and persist. When a person learns to harness and cultivate their passions they can self-direct their own learning, growth, goals, and aspirations. Passion Coaching teaches students how to harness their passions to set and pursue goals that build self-direction and self-confidence.
Self-directed learners have the following characteristics:
They set clear goals for themselves.
They shape their learning process in line with goals and plans.
They monitor their own learning process.
They evaluate the outcomes of their own learning.
They are autonomous.
They have self-motivation.
They are open to learning.
They are curious.
They are willing to learn.
They value learning.
They have self-control.
They take initiative to learn (Knowles, 1975; Knowles, 1977; Jennett, 1992 cited in Brockett and Hiemstra, 1991)
Source: An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Skills of Undergraduate Students
Taken from "Self-Directed Learning: A Core Concept in Adult Education"
Self-direction is synonomous with "self-help", "self-improvement", and "self-education".
Humanistic theory regards each human being as unique, and this uniqueness calls for an individualized approach to learning. It regards self-direction as the process, as well as the end product of learning. (e motivation to learning is intrinsic and emanates from the learner. Humanistic theory has a purpose to produce individuals who have the potential for self-actualization and are self-directed and internally motivated ([39], p. 1562). Self-actualization is to fulfill your potentiality and is the highest level of human growth. From this point of view, an individual is seen as the best judge of whether his or her learning meets his or her needs and interests. The teacher is a facilitator or a partner in the learning process.
Taken From "An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Skills of Undergraduate Students"
Self-directed learning is a process where individuals take primary charge of planning, continuing and evaluating their learning experiences (Merriam et al., 2007). In self-directed learning, the responsibility to learn shifts from an external source (teacher, etc.) to the individual.
Self-directed learners may be said to have high motivation levels, theye are keen on self-development and they aim to sustain their education.