A phenomenological exploration of self-directed learning among hispanic entrepreneurs in Indiana

Hispanic or Latino immigrant entrepreneurs contribute to the local U.S. economy by developing different businesses in the service sector, such as construction, food, hospitality, and related. Their decision to start a business is based on different conditions. Some face labor and racial discrimination that block opportunities for securing good jobs and salaries. Others are attracted to get a professional reputation, flexibility, independence, and social status. Despite these reasons for being an entrepreneur, most Hispanic immigrants lack formal business training. However, they develop and use their self-directed learning skills to learn and guide their business activities. As a result, Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs respond to the conditions of their environment, negotiate the learning process, and assume responsibility for their learning. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, this study explored the lived experiences of Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs in Indiana on how they use their SDL skills to pursue their entrepreneurial activities. Their narratives provided several themes such as looking for better conditions, lifelong learning, mentorship, motivation to learn, learner’s environment as a source of knowledge, learning strategies, identification of learning needs, and providing opportunities for others to work and learn. Each narrative was evaluated under Brockett and Hiemstra’s Personal Responsibility Orientation (PRO) model with special attention on how learners respond, negotiate, and assume responsibility for their learning.