Digitization bolstering self-directed learning for information literate adults–A systematic review

Abstract

Learning skills are fundamental 21st century skills that enable people to thrive in an increasingly uncertain future. Digitization and the current COVID-19 pandemic have been key drivers of uncertainty and changing conditions. In the face of change and uncertainty, self-directed learning is a fundamental competence. However, to date there is a dearth of understanding regarding how digital technologies are supporting or affecting self-directed learning in adulthood. In order to address this, the objective of the present study was to examine through a systematic literature review what is known to date regarding–how can digital technologies support self-directed learning in adult learning and education? The novel findings of the present study suggest digitization has transformed opportunities for self-directed learning in informal, non-formal, and in formal educational settings. However, a key finding of this present study was that the affordances of digital technologies might be described as a double edged sword: (1) digital technologies provide convenient accessibility to information, which acts as an enabler of self-directed learning; but (2) the increasing volume of available information demands additional learner skill in information literacy–part of being a competent self-directed learner–in order to navigate information in a meaningful way. These two concomitant phenomena might in part explain the widening digital divide that has been recorded in recent years.