In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the acquisition of practical skills has become increasingly important to meet the demands of the labour market. In vocational education and training, the focus on practical skill acquisition is paramount, especially in fields such as electrical installation and maintenance work, which require a high degree of technical proficiency and competency. Self-directed learning, which places the responsibility for learning on the learners, has gained increased attention as an approach to enhancing students’ engagement and motivation and promoting lifelong learning skills. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of self-directed learning on student engagement in practical skills acquisition in electrical installation and maintenance work in Nigeria. Using a stratified sampling technique, 500 electrical installation and maintenance work students were selected as the sample for the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to analyze the students’ responses. The study revealed that students’ task value, learning motivation, self-monitoring, interpersonal communication, and planning and implementation influenced their engagement in practical skills acquisition. Also, learning motivation, self-monitoring, planning and implementation but not interpersonal communication influenced students’ task value about practical skills acquisition. The outcomes of the study shed light that student’s motivation to engage in practical learning activity is influenced by their expectancy of success and perceived value of activity. Likewise, this outcome will positively influence the government, teachers, and education policymakers as regards to enhancing practical skill acquisition in schools. © The Author(s) 2025
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