Fostering Self-Directed Growth with Generative AI: Toward a New Learning Analytics Framework

In an era increasingly shaped by decentralized knowledge ecosystems and pervasive AI technologies, fostering sustainable learner agency has become a critical educational imperative. This paper introduces a novel conceptual framework integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) and Learning Analytics (LA) to cultivate Self - Directed Growth -- a dynamic competency enabling learner s to iteratively drive their own developmental pathways across diverse contexts. Building upon critical gaps in current Self - Directed Learning (SDL) and AI - mediated educational research, the proposed Aspire to Potentials for Learners (A2PL) model reconcept ualizes the interplay of learner aspirations, complex thinking, and summative self - assessment within GAI - supported environments. Methodological implications for future intervention designs and data analytics are discussed, positioning Self - Directed Growth as a pivotal axis for designing equitable, adaptive, and sustainable learning systems in the digital era. 1. Introduction The educational realm faces two increasingly prominent challenges that threaten to reshape the landscape of learning and development . Firstly, the traditional teacher - dominated, institution - centered environment is being eclipsed by a decentralized, ever - evolving, and technologically advanced online landscape. In this new paradigm, knowledge and skills are not poised and delivered by a single expositor, but are constantly renewed, reproduced, and reiterated through sharing and co - creation, rendering existing models of education insufficient. And the overreliance on EdTech tools, as well as information search and synthesis tools, such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), among students poses a significant challenge in the contemporary educational landscape, while there is a concerning lack of research examining whether these tools genuinely foster the development of learner agency. The integration of AI into educational practices offers a transformative opportunity to enhance learning outcomes and promote equity. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), AI has the potential to acc elerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) by improving access to quality education for all learners, regardless of their socioeconomic background (UNESCO, 2019; UNESCO, 2021). As some noted, AI facilitates access to information and online education, helping to bridge the information, skill, and educational gaps faced by disadvantaged individuals who encounter barriers to traditional learning opportunities due to time constraints, financial limitations, geographic distance, or physic al challenges (Thakkar et al., 2020; Sanabria - Z et al., 2023).