자기주도학습자론의 근대주의적 한계 비판

A critique on the discourse of self-directed learning

자기주도적 학습이론은 평생교육담론의 주요한 이론적 지반 가운데 하나로서, 교육의 패러다임 변화를 야기하였다고까지 평가되고 있다. 그러내 정작 자기주도적 학습이론으로 대표되는 성인학습자에 대한 담론을 분석해보면 성인학습자의 특성이 근원적으로는 근대주의적 사유의 지배를 받고 있음을 알게 된다. 성인학습론은 학교교육론에 대한 대안으로서 부상하지만, 실질적으로 패러다임 상약 변화가 아니라 동일한 패러다임의 변형된 적용에 불과할 수 있음을 말해준다. 이 글은 현재 ‘자기주도적 학습자론’에 내재된 자율적-합리적-보편적 학습자관이 계몽주의적 근대적 학습자관의 한계를 넘어서지 못하고 있는 측면을 밝히고, 대안적 연구를 위해 필요한 고려의 지점을 관계적-감성적 맥락적 차원에서 제시한다.

Nowadays, it is taken for granted that the school-centered old paradigm must be shifted to lifelong learning paradigm whose concern is to empower learners. The emphasis of learner is backed up by the theory of self-directed learning. The theorists of self-directed learning has insisted that adult learner could not be changed by teacher-oriented educational process. Adult learner is regarded as autonomous, self-regulated, and reasonable being. As theorists reveals that the characteristics of adult learner/learning is not unique but universal, the self-directed learning theory is expended to the foundation of general learning theory. Although the discourse of self-directed learner involves the break from the image of receptive student, it is impatient to conclude self-directed learning theory to alternative theory of education. After analyzing the discourse of self-directed learner, we make the limitation of self-directed learning theory clear. The illuministic ideal of education, the faith of reason, and the universal characteristics of learner is the unchanged promise of the theory of education. For founding alternative theory of education, researchers of adult learning would focus on the contextual, relational, emotional features of learner.