SEMINAR

Dr Ellen Boeren 10 July 2014

Dr Ellen Boeren – Chancellor’s Fellow – EdinburghWork undertaken in cooperation with Professor John Holford – Nottingham

Motivation of adult learners in formal adult education: individual and country level insights from the

LLL2010 project

OVERVIEW

1. Brief overview EU LLL policy

2. LLL and motivation

3. Brief overview of LLL2010

4. The match between motivation and country typologies

5. The match between motivation and adult learners’ characteristics

6. Discussion

1. EU LLL POLICY

• Lifelong learning (re)emerged in 1990s

• Stronger role EU after signing Lisbon Treaty in 2000 Europe wants to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-

based economy in the world by 2010 12.5 percent of 25-64 years old should participate in LLL benchmark increased to 15 percent to be achieved by 2020 • Two strands in EU education policy market, competition, employability equity, social inclusion/cohesion, citizenship

• Europe 2020 + cooperation in Education & Training (ET 2020) continuing importance benchmarks and indicators focus on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

1. EU LLL POLICY

• EU policy influential … but education policy remains national responsibility

• different performances of different countries annual report on progress benchmarks and indicators

PARTICIPATION FORMAL EDUCATION

PARTICIPATION NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

1. EU LLL POLICY

• Participation rates show similarities with welfare state regimes Scandinavian (Norway)

– high GDP, high investment in learning; tightly regulated labour markets, strong social inclusion

Anglo-Celtic (UK, Ireland) – relatively high GDP, emphasises LLL for econ. prosperity, social

inclusion; flexible labour markets, relatively high risk of poverty Continental (Austria, Flanders)

– rigid, stratified E&T systems, linked to a highly regulated labour market; limited emphasis on socially inclusion through LLL

Catching Up (post-communist)– Problematic/provisional: rapid social change– Similarities: LLL for human capital rather than social inclusion– Diversity: e.g. Slovenia emphasises learning for social inclusion

2. LLL AND MOTIVATION

• Country typologies are based on macro level indicators: GDP – labour market indicators – poverty risk etc.

What about motivations of individual adult learners? do we find a similar ‘country logic’? or is it all about sociological background: e.g. older people participate less

because of job related reasons …

• Cyril Houle (1961): The Inquiring Mind – comparable to different strands in policy interest-oriented learner activity oriented learner goal oriented learner

• Roger Boshier (1973): Education Participation Scale large empirical testing of the Houle typology

3. LLL2010

• LLL2010: Towards a Lifelong Learning Society in Europe: the Contribution of the Education System

• 13 teams ‘from Ireland to Russia’ (MHSE – Scottish partner)• September 2005 – February 2011• 5 subprojects

SP1: review policy documents LLL

SP2: analysis of the Adult Education Survey and the Labour Force Survey

SP3: survey of 1,000 adult learners in formal adult education formal = credential-based recognised by ministries of education adult learner = gap of 2 years after leaving initial education 1,000 learners sampled in 4 random blocks of 250 learners/ISCED level

4. MOTIVATION AND TYPOLOGIES

• Motivation was measured by Boshier’s Education Participation Scale• Data reduction: 2 main dimensions

(1) SOCIAL-COGNITIVE DIMENSION

to learn more on a subject that interests me to participate in group activities to contribute more to my community to gain awareness of myself and others to get a break from the routine of home and work to learn knowledge/skills useful in my daily life to contribute more as a citizen to meet new people

equity, social inclusion/cohesion, citizenship strand of LLL policy interest oriented and activity oriented learner Houle

4. MOTIVATION AND TYPOLOGIES

(2) VOCATIONAL DIMENSION

to earn more because my employer required me to enrol in the programme to do my job better because someone advised me to do it to start up my own business because I was obliged to do it. e.g. to claim benefits, to avoid redundancy to get a job to be less likely to lose my current job to obtain certificate

market, competition, employability strand of LLL policy goal oriented learner Houle

4. MOTIVATION AND TYPOLOGIES

4 GROUPS OF COUNTRIES EMERGE:

AUSTRIABELGIUM

ENGLANDSCOTLANDIRELAND

CZECH REPUBLICHUNGARYSLOVENIARUSSIAESTONIA

BULGARIALITHUANIA

VOCATIONAL -- - + ++

SOCIAL-COGNITIVE

+ + + +

4. MOTIVATION AND TYPOLOGIES

• country patterns show similarities with welfare state typologies• variation in vocational motivation is stronger than in social-cognitive

motivation

POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS AT THE MACRO LEVEL• differences in the educational system (e.g. more full-time daytime education

in the adult education system in Eastern European countries)• differences in the labour market system (e.g. Eastern European countries

adapting to Western European markets)• differences in social standards and living conditions (e.g. housing, but also

trust in political systems, general levels of happiness lower in Eastern European countries)

BUT … controlling for individual characteristics• sample stratified by ISCED level• e.g. more older adults in Western European samples

5. ADULT LEARNERS

Holford & Boeren 15 January 2013

• different socio-economic groups have different participation patterns

AGE• demographic changes have implications for labour market policies• need for continuous update of knowledge and skills for everyone … BUT

cost-benefit analysis and return on investment negative for older adults age discrimination happens in the workplace negative stereotyping around older employees: e.g. waiting for retirement,

lower productivity, … but … older adults have lots of experience and are perceived as reliable decline participation in LLL starts around 40-45 adults at 40-45 are only half way through their career!!!

5. ADULT LEARNERS

Holford & Boeren 15 January 2013

• different socio-economic groups have different participation patterns

JOB• workplace major provider of LLL activities• those who have a job, have an employer who can contribute• benefits more uncertain for those who do not have a job yet

GENDER• men receive more training opportunities than women at the workplace• men’s participation is more job-related while women’s participation is more

leisure oriented

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT• higher educated adults employed in more knowledge intensive jobs• they are more familiar with the education system

5. ADULT LEARNERS

Holford & Boeren 15 January 2013

How much of the variance in vocational motivation is explained by … ?

ADJUSTED R²

CONTINENTAL A-C East-rest BG-LT

AGE

GENDER

CONTINENTAL A-C East-rest BG-LT

JOB

CONTINENTAL A-C East-rest BG-LT

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

CONTINENTAL A-C East-rest BG-LT

6. Discussion

• country level patterns remain clearly visible …

• focus on vocational motivation stronger in Eastern European countries

• what does this tell us about the understanding of different formal adult education systems across Europe?

• low participation rates in formal adult education in Eastern European countries, e.g. older people are not there …

data Eurostat Adult Education Survey 2007same year as LLL2010-SP3 survey

6. Discussion• satisfaction of adult learners in Eastern Europe is lowerstrong correlation between satisfaction and perception of the classroom

environmentlower organisational quality in Eastern Europe

we looked at formal adult education, what about non-formal?

6. Discussion• RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER READING

6. Discussion• RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER READING

NEW BOOK COMING OUT SOON: Building European lifelong learning society: the enduring role of national characteristics. Edited by E. Saar, O.B. Ure and J. Holford. Published by Edward Elgar

Boeren, E., Holford, J., Nicaise, I. & Baert, H. (2012). Why do adults learn? Developing a motivational typology across twelve European countries. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 10(2), 247-269.

Boeren, E., Nicaise, I. & Baert, H. (2012). Adult learners’ satisfaction and its relation with individual and educational institutional characteristics. Pedagogies: an International Journal, 7(2),132-149.

Boeren, E., Nicaise, I., Baert, H. (2010). Theoretical models of participation in adult education: the need for an integrated model. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 29 (1), 45-61.

6. Discussion

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Dr Ellen Boeren – Chancellor’s Fellow – Edinburgh