Awakening the Learner Within: Purposeful Prompts and Lifelong Learning Measures in a First-Year Composition Course

Suzanne C Shaffer,Tara Moore

doi:10.14434/josotl.v17i4.21899

Abstract

Lifelong learning skills have been shown to benefit students during and after college. This paper discusses the use of the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) in a first-year composition course. Reflective writing assignments and pre- and post-semester ELLI data were used to assess student growth as lifelong learners over the course of a semester. Statistically significant gains in lifelong learning dimensions were made by students in the study as compared to those in a control group who received no direct instruction. The authors reflect on the outcomes of the project for students and instructors and question the general assumptions often made about the outcomes of a college education, namely, whether students gain lifelong learning skills simply by virtue of attending college, or is more instruction on these “intangible” qualities needed?

Highlights

Lifelong learning skills have been shown to benefit students during and after college
Positive changes were found in student writing samples and across most areas of lifelong learning measured by Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI)
The question before us was whether this extra instruction was necessary for growth in learning proficiency, or would students gain lifelong learning skills by virtue of attending college? In this section of the paper, we describe the actual course design, followed by the procedures used and results obtained

Summary

Introduction

Lifelong learning skills have been shown to benefit students during and after college. Data was collected through reflective writing assignments as well as with pre- and post-semester scores using the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI), an online survey that measures dispositions in seven areas of lifelong learning: Resilience, Creativity, Changing and Learning, Meaning Making, Strategic Awareness, Critical Curiosity, and Learning

Results

Conclusion