Motivation: Creating the Conditions for Learning

Motivation is something we all struggle with at some point.  Whether in learning or in life, we all must find the focus and wherewithal to complete tasks and carve out an existence that keeps us sustained and participating in the world around us.  Whether it be K-12 students becoming engaged for the first time with learning or the 50-year-old student hoping to complete a college degree, students must find the motivation to learn and apply that knowledge in their own lives. A question that is central in my mind, having worked both in higher education and with adult learners in a small community health center, is how to keep adults engaged and learning beyond their formative years of education.  In other words, how do you keep motivation going long after the seeming "requirement" of learning has passed?  How do you cultivate a lifelong relationship with learning?

Part of the answer can be found in the social-cognitive theories of motivation.  As outlined in Snowman, et. al. (2009), these theories focus on the need for learners to both have structured, replicable models for learning that incorporate relevance and usefulness, while promoting self-efficacy and student empowerment.  Coupling this with the importance of "belonging" that is necessary for educational success, one can easily see why there are barriers to adult learners.  Adult learners do not often "belong".  There has not been an established norm or acceptance for older learners in any widespread way.  Furthermore, adults often do not have the time or finances to sit in a traditional classroom and benefit from structured learning.  Adults who may have missed out on college but want to attend later on often talk themselves out of attending due to concerns of belonging, time management, cost, and life commitments.

Another example of adult learning beyond "requirement" is professional development.  Many adults could benefit from professional development, but do not have the proper motivation, time, or encouragement from employers to pursue it.  Workplace research shows that individual incentives, especially monetary incentives, are not useful when prompting employees to go above and beyond to gain new skills.  When incentives do work, they are incentives which are informed by employee need, they instill pride in work beyond compensation, and there is a collaborative, team atmosphere built between the employer and employee.  Translating this research to the classroom, adult learners must have the time, need, and encouragement to learn, and there is rarely a cheerleader for the adult learner.  And, as we discussed in class, there can even be detractors as employers worry an "improved" employee educationally will find alternate work after completing more school.

Thankfully, though slowly, the challenges of the adult learner are lifting and technology is playing a part.  Technology plays a huge role in helping to remove the barriers to adult student motivation. Technology can "enhance adult learning because it has the potential to increase flexibility, provide access to expertise, facilitate discussion among learners who cannot meet face to face, reduce feelings of isolation often experienced by nontraditional learners..." according to Susan Imel, Director and Adult Education Specialist for the ERIC Clearinghouse.  Through distance education programs, e-classrooms, facilitation software like Moodle, and educator-learner relationships carried out through email and Skype, adult learners are having an easier time fitting in learning to a busy and complex life. Opportunities abound and, hopefully, through educational endeavors on the web and in the classroom, adults can enjoy a new and lifelong relationship with learning.