Supporting self-directed learning: A systematic review and interview study of organisational challenges in supporting Self-directed learning

Abstract: This study examines what challenges organisations might face when supporting their employees in self-directed learning. Self-directed learning, SDL, is a learning process where learners are responsible for identifying their learning needs, setting learning goals, initiating the learning process and evaluating the results. Previous research has shown the benefits of having self-directed learners as employees. It has also examined how individual characteristics and prior experiences affect the use of self-directed learning. This thesis focuses on the organisational context and challenges that might occur when supporting the use of SDL. The study used a two-fold approach where challenges were first identified through a systematic review of empirical data from 2010 to 2022. Identified challenges were later checked against Learning and Development practitioners to examine if they experienced them and, if so, how they addressed the challenges. The results were analysed and compared to find overlaps and contradictions between the literature findings and the experiences of practitioners. The results suggest that all challenges and their proposed solutions are highly interconnected and that managers play an essential role in enabling SDL for employees. The practical implications this can have for organisational learning are discussed. Future research should be done on a more extensive sample and more diverse organisations to further examine the organisational challenges and ways to manage SDL for employees.