Motivational profiles of adult learners

• Autor(a) principal: Rothes, Ana
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Lemos, Marina S., Gonçalves, Teresa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/2946
• topic: Motivational profiles; Autonomous/controlled regulation; Adult education; Learning/engagement variables; Self-efficacy

This study investigated profiles of autonomous and controlled motivation and their effects in a sample of 188 adult learners from two Portuguese urban areas. Using a person-centered approach, results of cluster analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance revealed four motivational groups with different effects in self-efficacy, engagement, and learning. The study showed that groups of learners who have high autonomous motivation in the beginning of a course score higher in self-efficacy and later on in behavioral engagement and use of deep-learning strategies, whereas those who have controlled motivation alone or low levels of both types of motivation have worse results. Additionally, the study showed motivational differences according to adult learners’ gender, educational level, and occupational status. The influence of the Portuguese adult education system on the results and the implications of the study for the practice of adult education are also discussed.