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EDUCATIONAL MOTIVATION OF ADULTS
E. V. Chyorny
The motivation for learning is undoubtedly one of the most theoretically developed issues in pedagogy and, at the same time, one of the most difficult issues to solve in the practical learning process. Schools and parents often try to use incentives that ‘capture’ extrinsic motivation only. But when incentives become less important (and this is inevitably the case), it appears that extrinsic motivation rapidly falls apart, while intrinsic motivation has not been built. Almost identical difficulties are often seen in higher education, although the emerging professional identity and focus on professional effectiveness should seemingly foster strong intrinsic motivation. The development of additional professional education involves addressing the problem of motivating adults who have already successfully graduated from higher education once. In general, the issues of adult education are successfully explored in a relatively new field of education known as andragogy. The status of andragogy does not look precisely defined at the moment. In our opinion, there are three major trends as follows: (1) andragogy is clearly set against pedagogy, based on the ideas of Michael Knowles, one of the founders of this discipline. One of his articles is entitled ‘Andragogy, not Pedagogy’ [11], and his program book is entitled ‘The Modern Practice of Adult Education. From Pedagogy to Andragogy’ [12]; (2) andragogy is treated as a field of pedagogy [5; 6]; and (3) andragogy is seen as an approach subjectified in the special phenomenology of the activities of a professional practitioner. “What the term ‘andragogist’ denotes is not a profession, but a position of professionals who follow andragogical principles in their activities” [3, p. 116; 8].
In 2009, A.I. Kukuyev analyzed twenty six definitions, trying to clarify the status of andragogy [6]. Since then, there have been more and more attempts to concretize and substantiate the issues of this relatively new field of knowledge. One of the most correct definitions was given by T.A. Vasilkova. She sees andragogy as an area of science and practice where the regularities of educational activities of adults are explored and defined [2]. It should be noted that the main principles of andragogy were developed and are rigorously put into practice within additional professional (postgraduate) education and skills improvement [2; 3; 45; 6; 12].
The main choice-driving needs and motives for its inclusion in additional professional education were described in line with the description of special aspects of adult education. There are different classifications of motivation for learning, such as the desire for success and avoidance of failures; extrinsic/intrinsic motivation; positive/negative motives [1]; cognitive/social motives [7]. Indeed, the motivation of adults (and children) is often determined by social motives.
There is scientific and educational literature on the educational motivations of adults. For example, according to Y.N. Kulyutkin and G.S. Sukhobskaya, the intrinsic motivation for learning among adults can be classified into three types as follows: (a) utilitarian motivation; (b) prestige-based motivation; and (c) motivation
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where knowledge is an end in itself [9]. M.V. Klarin combines and describes the following needs: (a) the need for justification (meaning) which manifests itself in two main areas: the need to solve practical operational problems, and the need for personal and professional development; (b) the need for independence, in particular in choosing from several alternatives; (c) the need to use life experience as a support in any activity, including learning; (d) the urgent need to change something in life; and (e) the need for a practical focus of activity: a focus on real tasks in a real context [5].
This report attempts to compare the proposed principles, and to some extent, check whether they actually reflect the motivation of adults who are going to pursue additional professional education, and to what degree the motivation changes by the time of graduation.
The aim of this study is to identify common features of educational motivation of adults and developments in motivation from the time of selection of learners in the system of additional professional education until their graduation in two and a half years.
The subject of this study is special aspects and dynamics of learning motivation of adults in the system of additional professional education.
The sample included 100 students of Pedagogy (65 women and 35 men aged from 24 to 58 years) at the Center for Postgraduate Education of the V.I. Vernadsky Taurida National University (Simferopol, the Republic of Crimea).
The method of the study is a standardized interview at the beginning of training (more precisely, during interviews for the selection of students) and before the state examination, i.e. after two and a half years of training. The initial and final interviews with the respondents are structured using the same list of questions, with clearly defined response options.
The results of the study were quite comparable with the basic principles of modern andragogy. For example, the principles of priority of self-guided learning and electivity (i.e. the freedom to choose goals, content, forms, methods, sources, means, periods, time, etc.) are reflected in responses to the question ‘How important to you is the opportunity to plan the forms of learning on your own and influence the educational content?’. 75% of the respondents chose option ‘b’ (very important); 15% chose option ‘a’ (not very important); and 10% chose option ‘c’ (I prefer if the patterns and content of learning are strictly defined by the university). At the end of training, the same question was asked in the past tense, but responses showed no significant change, except that option ‘c’ was chosen by twice as many respondents (20%).
The searching for connection between motivation and the principles of focus on research, problem solving and practice orientation was realized using the question ‘Are you seeking to master the existing knowledge in the subject field of study or rather prefer to find and solve problems from a practical perspective on a self-guided basis?’. At the beginning of training, 80% of the respondents chose option ‘a’ (What I need is theory); 15% chose option ‘b’ (First I have to master the existing knowledge); and 5% chose option ‘c’ (Only self-guided research and practical problem solving). At the end of studies, the obvious rejection of theoretical knowledge was gone: option ‘a’ was chosen by just 10% of the respondents, option ‘b’ by 60%, and option ‘c’ by 20%.
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The principle of collaboration of learners with their classmates and the teacher in the preparation for and during training was not very relevant to the respondents before the beginning of the training. Responding to the question ‘Is it important to you to study in a group or do you prefer self-guided learning?’, 50% of the respondents chose option ‘a’ (not very important); 40% chose option ‘b’ (group learning is desirable); and 10% chose option ‘c’ (self-guided learning). Responses to the question about the preferability of sessions with a teacher against self-guided learning showed roughly the same distribution. However, at the end of training, 80% of the respondents chose option ‘b.’
The principles of relevance and updating of training outcomes in practical activities are reflected in the next question of the survey, ‘Do you think that being immediately in demand in the labor market should be a necessary outcome of training?’. Responses were distributed between the available options as follows: a) No, I am not going to be a professional in this field: 20%; b) It is desirable but not a necessity: 32%; and c) Yes, otherwise training would be useless: 48%. At the end of training, the percentage of the respondents who chose option ‘c’ was much higher (60%), and many of them have ‘moved’ from option ‘b’, showing that previously they considered employment in psychology as a desirable, but not necessary result of training. Interestingly, the number of those who were not going to become professionals has somewhat increased.
The principle of using life experience, knowledge and skills and the principle of personal development and improvement are in line with the respondents’ motivations. Responses to the question, ‘To what degree do you agree that the learner is a tabula rasa and must perceive information conscientiously, while the teacher’s task is to fill in this ‘clean board’ with knowledge and experience?’ showed the following distribution: a) Absolutely agree and ready for such training: 10%; b) Agree, but only in respect of child learners: 15%; and c) Totally disagree, and will seek to correlate new information with my own knowledge and experience in a creative manner: 75%. At the final stage of training, the question was asked without any change. Almost all of the respondents chose option ‘c.’
The principle of focus on practical problems driven by vital needs is reflected in the question ‘Your expectations for learning outcomes more relate to...’: a) enhanced communicative competence; b) solving your own psychological problems; c) being able to effectively help others; and d) career or professional advancement.
The majority of respondents showed dissatisfaction with this question during the interview, because they believed the response options did not fully reflect their expectations. Nevertheless, in the initial survey, 24% of women and 10% of men chose option ‘b’; 20% of women and 15% of men chose option ‘a’; 26% of women and 15% of men chose option ‘c’; and 30% of women and 60% of men chose option ‘d.’ After the completion of training, the proportion between responses has changed significantly. Almost nobody chose options ‘a’ and ‘b’ and the number of those choosing option ‘c’ has doubled (up to 60% among women and up to 30% among men). The number of those choosing option ‘d’ has remained virtually unchanged.
Conclusions. 1. The majority of the respondents are motivated by the opportunity to plan the rate, nature and content of training by themselves. An
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option where these parameters of training would be strictly predetermined initially was positively rated by fewer than ten percent of the respondents, with all of them being women. Upon completion of training, the number of women choosing the clear structure and ‘strict schedule’ of training has increased.
2. Apparently, the rejection of theoretical foundations of professional training by adults results from the stereotypical perception of any forms of institutionalized training. In other words, it is non-constructive processing of the past school and student experience. This stereotype was destroyed during training, and the importance of theoretical knowledge was rethought in a positive way, as well as the importance of self-guided research.
3. Less than one half of the respondents expressed a clear preference for group sessions and joint activities with a teacher. For most respondents (with the majority of those being men), these characteristics of educational activity are either not important, or they prefer self-guided work. However, the very nature of educational activity, communication in a group, and group dynamics, appeared to have significant influence, with the overwhelming majority of the respondents in the second survey recognizing the importance of group work.
4. One fifth of the total number of respondents initially were not going to be employed professionally in psychology, and one third of the respondents were prepared that this might not be the case, even though they would like to become professionals if possible. About one half of the respondents (with almost all of them being men) are oriented toward being engaged in professional activities as a direct and necessary result of training. The number of people with a clearly defined position increased during training - many realized that they should try and get engaged in professional activities, while others became convinced that this was not a good idea for them.
5. Only ten percent of the respondents accept the conventional model of education, agreeing that a learner (in particular an adult learner) should be the recipient of training. Fifteen percent of the respondents consider this to be normal for children. However, three quarters of the respondents prior to the beginning of training, and almost all of them upon the completion of training, believe that the learner should have a proactive subject position and ‘relate new information to their own knowledge and experience in a creative way.’
6. The dynamics of expectations (as a motivator) in respect to the results of training had changed significantly by the end of training, from ‘solving your own psychological problems’, toward helping others. This indirectly confirms that the appropriate professional values and attitudes necessary for the profession of psychologist have been built. At the same time, the expectations of those who were firmly focused on career and professional growth initially (in line with their previous activities) did not change.
7. In general, the respondents regarded the survey of their motivations favorably. In personal interviews (an interview is a prerequisite for the selection of enrollees), applicants provided a deeper and more specific perspective of their own motives, and often demonstrated awareness of the motives and clarity of goals. This is quite in line with another postulate of andragogy, the principle of reflexivity, i.e. the conscious attitude toward learning, which certainly enhances intrinsic motivation.
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