Guest editorial: Preparing for the future: Cultivating self-directed learners with technology in the K-12 context

Abstract

The development and prevalence of technology has not only facilitated favorable conditions for self-directed learning but also made it a core competence of today’s world. Thus, cultivating K-12 learners’ capability of utilizing technology to engage in self-directed learning becomes an essential task in education. In this editorial of the special issue, we join the authors to search for insights into what to and how to support K-12 learners’ capacity of self-directed learning with technology. Through reviewing the framework of self-directed learning and exploring the role of technology, we call for research that examine mechanisms and issues that related not only to fostering learners’ regulation of their learning process, but also to supporting learners in initiating and taking responsibilities for self-directed actions to the benefit of oneself and one’s community.

Keywords

• self-directed learning
• self-regulation
• k-12 education