Vocational students’ motivation and perceived

success in workplace

learning

Anne Virtanen & Päivi Tynjälä, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

ECER 2008 Göteborg, Sweden

Introduction 1/2

One of the biggest constraints on vocational students’ learning is their lack of motivation (e.g. Mulder et al., 2006). Findings concerning the new workplace system in Finland VET are encouraging: vocational students are very motivated to learn ”real work” during their workplace learning periods (e.g. Lasonen, 2001). Therefore, in this study, we will examine in more detail the factors on the background of motivational aspects and students’ self-assessed success in their workplace learning.

Introduction 2/2

Recent studies on employees’ learning at work have showed that learning through work depends both on the individuals’ participation and workplace affordances (Billett, 2004; Collin, 2005). Therefore, we are searching explanations for students’ experiences of workplace learning both from the social and individual elements of workplace learning (these include students’ experiences of work communities and guidance as well as their motivational orientations).

Research questions

1) What kind of motivational orientations do vocational students show in workplace learning?

2) What kind of relationship there is between students’ self-assessed success in school-based learning and work-based learning?

3) What factors do explain students’ self-assessed success in workplace learning?

Data and methods

Data was collected by Internet questionnaires

Vocational students (N = 3106) were final-years students from six vocational fields of Finnish VET

In total, 1603 students (52 %) answered the questionnaires

Data was analysed with quantitative methods

Measuring students’ motivational orientations during their workplace

learning periodsNine statements related to students’ motivational orientation at work (e.g. It was important to me to complete my tasks in a way that made my trainer fully satisfied.) a four-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree, 4 = strongly agree)The following aggregate scales and single variables were used in the analysis: - Achievement orientation (Cronbach’s alpha = .66)- Avoidance orientation (Cronbach’s alpha = .56)- Learning orientation (single variable)- Initiative orientation (single variable)- Invention orientation (single variable)

Students’ motivational orientations during workplace learning periods

(min 1, max 4)

STUDENTS’ MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATIONS

Mean value

SD

Learning orientation 3.66 .58

Achievement orientation 3.28 .56

Invention orientation 2.97 .69

Initiative orientation 2.75 .88

Avoidance orientation 2.03 .74

Students’ self-assessed success at school and in workplace

learning

QUESTIONS:1) How do you rate your performance at school? 2) How do you rate your performance during your workplace learning periods?

RESULTS (min 1, max 5): - Students’ self-assessed success at school (n=1552): mean value 3.63 (SD .81)- Students’ self-assessed success in workplace learning (n=1545): mean value 4.05 (SD .75)

Cross tabulation of students’ self-assessed success at school and in

workplace learning (n = 1540)

STUDENTS’ SELF-ASSESSED SUCCESS IN WORKPLACE LEARNING

Poor + satisfactory

Moderate Good + Excellent

Total

STUDENTS’ SELF-ASSESSED SUCCESS AT SCHOOL

Poor + satisfactory

19 % 16 % 65 % 100 %

n=130

Moderate 5 % 22 % 73 % 100 %

n=456

Good + Excellent

1 % 6 % 93 % 100 %

n=954

Independent variables used in the following regression analysis

Students’ experiences of work communities: social and interactive support, availability of individual guidance, and active membership (Collin, Paloniemi, Virtanen & Eteläpelto, 2008)Forms of guidance: discussions with employees, discussions with teacher, discussions together with teacher and workplace trainer, self-assessment of one’s own work, assignments from school, learning journals (Virtanen & Tynjälä, 2008)Content of guidance: guidance concerning work and work environment, and guidance concerning students’ development (Virtanen & Tynjälä, 2008)Students’ motivational orientations (mentioned above) Students’ prior work experience (Virtanen, Tynjälä & Collin, 2008)

What factors do explain students’ self-assessed success

in workplace learning?DEPENDENT VARIABLE R R²

Self-assessment success in workplace learning

.454 .206

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

B Stand. beta

t Sig.

Avoidance orientation - .176 - .177 -6.908 <.001

Invention orientation .185 .169 6.109 <.001

Active membership .149 .150 5.289 <.001

Achievement orientation .178 .131 4.924 <.001

Availability of individual guidance

.157 .124 4.443 <.001

ConclusionsStudents are very motivated to learn at work: they want to learn particularly new things and also succeed well both at school and at work. Students assess their success in workplace learning better than their success at school. In other words, if school does not go well at all for students workplace learning can go much better. Students’ perceived success in the workplace learning depends both on the factors related to the students (i.e. their motivational orientations) and the factors related to the circumstances of the workplace (i.e. availability of individual guidance and active membership). Thus, the success of the students cannot be seen as only a consequence of students’ motivation, as often is believed, but the circumstances of the workplace were equally important for successful in workplace learning.

Further information:

Anne Virtanen

Department of Educational Sciences

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Email: anne.virtanen@edu.jyu.fi

Päivi Tynjälä

Finnish Institute for Educational Research

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Email: paivi.tynjala@ktl.jyu.fi