| Grounded in humanistic philosophy, the intention of this basic-interpretive, qualitative inquiry was to explore self-directed learning (SDL) within the museum environment. Sixteen autonomous learners, aged twenty-five or older, were selected from random visitors among four participating museum sites within the Baltimore, Maryland -- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania region. Investigation was conducted into the Personal Responsibility Orientation (PRO) Model as a conceptual framework for understanding SDL within museums and discoveries were revealed into SDL from the perspective of the museum learner. Topics of discussion include: the highly educated and experienced independent learner; the museum gallery or exhibition in the role of non-human facilitator; SDL inside of the museum; the social context of learning; and possible deficiencies and strengths of the PRO Model. The findings have implications for adult education, nonformal education, free choice learning and museum education (also referred to as museum science, museum studies or museology). |
