SLA RESEARCH ON SELF-DIRECTION: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES

process involved. Session 4 was about metacognitive strategies. Session 5 dealt with
metacognitive awareness and verbal reports. Session 6 introduced the concept of
metacognitive knowledge and session 7 specifically analysed person, a category of
metacognitive knowledge (see handouts of these sessions in appendix 4).

7.1.2.2.1 About a model of self-directed learning process

As it was the first session of this sort, I started with my own definition of self-
direction and the difference I saw between this concept and autonomy (see discussion of
this issue in 4.3.3, p. 104). I explained to the participants that this definition implied two
essential elements, ability and attitude, that were intimately related and fed into each
other. I also introduced the concepts of metacognitive knowledge and strategies as the
be-aware and make-decisions processes that make up the core of self-direction. The
following diagram explains this (it was included in the handout for this session):

Fig. 7.2 Definition of the process of self-directed learning

In this session I also introduced a model of self-directed learning process. The
following is an extract of the handout I gave to the participants (translated from
Spanish):

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