Process of Inquiry

Proposing an Original Research Question Student Name University Course Professor name Date Proposing an Original Research Question Summary of the Two Articles Chou, P. (2012). The relationship between engineering students' self-directed learning abilities and online learning performances: A pilot study. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (Online), 5(1), 33. Purpose Chou’s study examined engineering students’ online learning performance and self-directed learning (SDL) ability and investigated how SDL abilities affect online learning success. Methods Chou conducted a quantitative pilot research with online engineering students. A self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) assessed students’ SDL skills. Online course grades and completion rates assessed student performance. Correlation and regression analysis were utilized to analyze SDL abilities and online learning performance. Results Online learning success was positively correlated with SDL abilities. Higher SDL scores were associated with higher online course performance, suggesting that SDL abilities are essential for online learning. The findings imply that SDL training may improve online student performance. Critique The study’s limited sample size restricts generalizability. The survey also solely included engineering students, not representing other specialties. To boost external validity, a larger and more diversified sample would have been used.  Orawiwatnakul, W., & Wichadee, S. (2011). A comparison of students' outcomes in two classes: Business administration students VS communication arts students based on self-directed learning activities. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 4(5), 23-32. Purpose To compare business administration and communication arts students' self-directed learning outcomes. The study examined if the two groups had substantial SDL differences. Methods Orawiwatnakul and Wichadee used a quasi-experimental design with two groups of business administration and communication arts students. Before and after SDL activities, both groups were tested for knowledge and skills. Students' views of SDL activities were also assessed using questionnaires. Results Both groups of students increased their knowledge and skills through SDL activities. However, business administration students made more progress than communication arts students. The study found that SDL activities benefit all students, but the benefits varied by field. Critique Th...