Keyword(s) : self-education

Modern education overcomes institutional, age, and spatial limits. It provides each person with the opportunity to lifelong learning, and it also allows managing the learning process. Self-education as a proactive human activity for the purposeful accumulation of experience is becoming a relevant subject of scientific research. The research contexts of self-education in world science are the following concepts: «adult learning», «continuous learning», «continuous professional development», «informal learning», «lifelong learning», «non-formal learning», «self-development», «self-directed learning», «self-education», «workplace learning». A review of the segments of the subject field formed by these concepts was carried out. The main goal was to compare and determine the possibilities of using these concepts for the study of self-education in educational, organizational (professional) and life contexts. The articles indexed in the Scopus database served as the basis for the review. Quantitative indicators characterizing the prevalence of terms and the content of the sought-for concepts in the most cited articles were identified. The results showed that the significant amount of knowledge about self-education is concentrated in the segments related to the concepts of lifelong learning, self- directed learning, informal learning, and workplace learning. The most promising is the study of self-education of students or professionals based on the theories of self-directed and informal learning. The theories of self-directed learning are necessary to consider the initiation, implementation, and control of person’s proactive learning activities. The theories of informal learning are necessary to analyze the spontaneous, but meaningful experience accumulation in the process of various activities. The materials of the review, which describe contexts for the study of self-education, will be useful for scientists to determine the current research perspectives and select an adequate theoretical framework.