Volume Two - Academic Conferences

The Effects of Self-Directed Learning Readiness on
Learning Motivation in Web 2.0 Environments
Chien-hwa Wang 1 and Cheng-ping Chen 2
1
Graphic Arts and Communications, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei,
Taiwan
2
Information and Learning Technology, National University of Tainan, Tainan,
Taiwan
pw5896@ms39.hinet.net
chenjp0820@yahoo.com.tw
Abstract: Recent studies argue that the emergence of Web 2.0 has significantly advanced learner-centred
eLearning. However, critics have also suggested that learners could easily become overwhelmed in a completely
learner-centred Web 2.0 environment. This indicates that learners are not easily motivated to concentrate on
Web 2.0 learning activities. The researchers of this study speculated that learners’ self-directed learning
readiness might affect learner motivation in Web 2.0 environments. Two research hypotheses were made for the
study: 1. learners’ Internet experience affects their self-directed learning readiness; 2. self-directed learning
readiness is related to Web 2.0 learning motivation. A questionnaire survey was conducted and pilot study
showed that overall reliabilities of the questionnaire were satisfied. The subjects of the study were sampled from
the college students who were frequent users of local Yahoo! Answers. Data from 334 valid questionnaire
responses were collected and statistically analysed. The results indicated that learners with 10 years or more
web experience exhibited a significantly higher average score for self-directed learning readiness than learners
with less web experience, suggesting web experience significantly influenced the self-directed learning
readiness. The results also indicated that the correlation coefficients between each subcategory of self-directed
learning readiness and each subset of Web 2.0 learning motivation were highly significant, suggesting that the
higher the self-directed learning readiness, the higher the Web 2.0 learning motivation. These findings are
especially useful as a reference for educational practitioners to adapt learners’ self-directed learning readiness to
Web 2.0 environments. Moreover, the findings can also be used to reduce the concerns of people who are
sceptical of web 2.0 learning.
Keywords: Web 2.0, self-directed learning readiness, learning motivation, learner control
1. Introduction
Due to the recent rapid increase of blogs, wikis, and social networks, research on Web 2.0 learning
has become popular in Educational Technology. Huang, Yang, and Tsai (2009) asserted that one of
the essential goals of applying Web 2.0 to interactive eLearning is to enhance learner-centric
communication in web-based learning. However, learner-centric or learner-controlled instruction
(hereafter referred to as “learner control”) has been wildly discussed over the past 20 years. Many
eLearning studies regarding learner control were conducted before the introduction of Web 2.0, and
many focused on developing learner control mechanisms and examining the effectiveness of welldesigned
instructional systems. The use of navigational aids (Burke, Etnier and Sullivan, 1998) and
intensive practice (Shute, Gawlick and Gluck, 1998) are two of the many learner control eLearning
strategies developed in the 1990s. In current research and development, a series of Web 2.0 studies
similarly focused on designing learner control strategies and testing their effects. For example,
Mendenhall and Johnson (2010) designed a social annotation model learning system embedded with
multiple learner control strategies including examples, practice, reflection, and collaboration; the
findings indicated that users’ experiences were positive. Westera, de Bakker and Wagemans (2009)
used peer tutoring as the learner control strategy and a computational model selected the most
appropriate peer. However, the results were not self-evident as students frequently used alternative
methods to request assistance. Regardless of the positive or negative findings of these Web 2.0
studies, the controversy over the use of learner control strategies cannot be overlooked. Learnercontrolled
eLearning courses have also been criticized for learners “entering with insufficient reasons
(motivation) to remain and the instructional methods they encounter fail to hold them,” therefore
learner-controlled “eLearning courses often suffer a high dropout rate” (Molenda and Bichelmeye,
2005).
Another complaint against learner control strategies relates to the unique attributes of Web 2.0.
Instead of passively absorbing static information, a Web 2.0 environment provides a knowledgesharing
platform that enables collective intelligence (O’Reilly, 2005), anyone has the right to improve
and revise the information. Learners are able to more actively search, select, acquire, and create
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