8. CREATING A LEARNING CULTURE
Although I have dealt with some reflections and proposals in the previous
chapter, in this, the final chapter, I would like to focus, on the creation of a learning
culture, as a conclusion to this thesis and as the proposal for further research on the issue.
But, in order for the reader to make sense of it, I consider it necessary to go back to
certain points covered previously in order to recapitulate what I have said so far.
I started this thesis with a narration that makes up the history of self-directed
learning in Mexico. Within this chronicle, I included a description of the Self-Access
Centre in Oaxaca, the definition of key concepts in the field of self-direction (based on a
review of the literature) and the description of the roles I played at the various stages of
the project. As the reader will have noticed, the last two elements were deeply linked; my
own conception of self-direction changed according to the different roles I played and
the experiences that these roles encompassed. All this was included in the first three
chapters of the present study.
The writing of these three chapters was a learning process. The outcome of this
learning process was the fact that I became aware that I needed to make sense of the
knowledge and experiences I had acquired. I also realised that it was impossible to make
sense unless I had a working theory that explained to me the way learners Ieam in a self-
directed mode. This was the reason for putting forward a cognitive model for self-
directed learning on Chapter 4. Starting with the analysis of a cognitive model for
language learning, I reflected on the different functions that the mechanisms of cognition
play when self-direction takes place. The development of this model allowed me to
reflect on the definition of key elements of self-direction, such as awareness, motivation,
and learner beliefs. This also permitted me to conclude my discussion of autonomy
(started at the beginning of the thesis, Autonomy 1) and to realise the difference, to my
mind, between autonomy and self-direction.
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