This article investigated the relationship between undergraduate students’ selfdirectedness
and their exam preparation styles as well as the implications these have
for teaching practice in the open and distance learning (ODL) context. A quantitative
cross-sectional survey design was used, involving a stratified proportional random
sample of 1102 predominantly early career black and female undergraduate
ODL adult students in the field of economic and management sciences. Canonical
correlation results indicated that the students’ level of active engagement in their
academic studies was significantly influenced by factual-practical and abstracttheoretical
study strategies. Multiple regression analyses revealed the examination
preparation styles to be significant predictors of the participants’ self-directedness.
The findings suggest that balancing factual-practical and abstract-theoretical
learning strategies may be most important in enhancing students’ engagement with
their academic activities, the amount of time they actively devote to their studies and
their use of ODL-related study materials (study guides, tutorial letters, textbooks and
assignment feedback) in preparing for their examinations. Recommendations are
made for future research and teaching practice in the ODL context. Overall, it is
concluded that teaching practices should aim at enhancing ODL students’ levels of
self-directedness in line with their preferred examination preparation styles in order
to increase their chances of success in an ODL environment
Citation:61 Coetzee, M. & Botha, J. (2013). Undergraduate students’ self-directedness in relation to their examination preparation styles in Open Distance Learning. Progressio, 35 (2), 34-57
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