Abstract:

This paper proposes the use of a mobile learning diary as a means of supporting learners’ self-directed learning. As mobile learning has been investigated intensively during the past fifteen years, the main stream of the mobile learning research provides knowledge on the learning processes and mobile technology design. When investigating self-directed learning with mobile technology, the methods how to support learning of the metacognitive skills is one of the key issues. To date, technology supporting self-directed learning is based mainly on web-based applications for self-reports and subjective evaluations. However, as previous studies have been shown, the shift of supporting self-directed learning among mobile learners is evident. In this paper, a novel mobile technology based approach to support self-directed learning is presented. We developed the mobile learning application containing self-evaluation tools grouped into five fields. The study was conducted with the users of the mobile LearningDiary application delivered on the MXit platform during the years 2015–2016. We argue that to be able to support the self-directed learning, we need to ensure consistent assessment during the learning process. In addition, to reflect learning the metacognitive skills, we need students' commonly shared learning experiences, which could enhance the learning of the intended skills.

Keywords:

Self-directed learning, metacognitive skills, mobile learning.