The Adult Learner Self-Directedness Scale: Validity and reliability assessment

Orientation: The absence of a scale to assess the academic self-directedness adult learners in South African open, distance and e-learning milieus. Research purpose: This article describes further validity reliability assessment Adult Learner Self-Directedness Scale (ALSDS), which assesses learners’ an (ODeL) university Africa. An initial study yielded four-factor with 35 items loading onto it, while this reports on three-factor 15 it. Motivation for study: Factors such as socio-economic conditions past education practices make higher (ODeLHE) challenging socio-economically disadvantaged students. growing trend online tuition universities requires research into strategies that may improve student’s success throughput. In ODeLHE, student contribute success, thus reliable is needed Currently, there no scale. approach/design method: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was implemented, using self-report data from students College Economic Management Sciences at ODeL university. ALSDS comprises three factors: orientation ODeLHE (self-efficacy beliefs), active behaviour (learner agency) use strategic resources (learning context management). Main findings: findings indicate appears be valid, internally consistent suitable assessing self-directedness. Further is, however, required establish metric scalar invariance. Practical/managerial implications: provide starting point developing students’ existing Knowledge capacity useful designing implementing holistic learner support programmes. Contribution/value-add: Afrocentric measure