Motivation to learn: test of a model in different training contexts

Tombs, Michal ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2789-5417 2011. Motivation to learn: test of a model in different training contexts. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

At the centre of this body of research is a model of motivation to learn that expands upon previous studies by (a) conceptualising general and specific motivation to learn as separate constructs and defining them separately from valence, instrumentality, and self-efficacy, (b) extending the literature on the effect of situational variables through integration of training support variables as additional (i.e., trainer and peer support) predictors of training outcomes, and (c) assessing the generalisability of the model in two studies within the educational domain (chapter 4) and three studies in the organisational domain, all of which were conducted in naturally occurring training environments. It was anticipated that the relationship of learning anxiety and achievement motivation with general and specific motivation to learn would be partially mediated by attitudinal variables and that general and specific motivation to learn would have a positive relationship with training outcomes. It was also predicted that training support will contribute to training outcomes, above and beyond general and specific motivation to learn. Taken together, findings provide evidence as to the importance of context and how different results are obtained when applying the same model to different training environments and with different samples of trainees. The unique conceptualisation of motivation to learn enabled an insight into the effect of learning anxiety, demonstrating that this factor matters most in contexts where a link can be explicitly perceived between training and outcomes. Achievement motivation, on the other hand, was unequivocally related to both measures of motivation to learn. Collectively, this body of research suggests that the trainer has a more important role in training success than motivation to learn. This provides the basis for integrating social support factors within the training environment into models of motivation to learn, presenting a systematic approach to investigating the trainer-trainee interface with implications discussed for research and practice.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
ISBN:	9781303218958
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	25 Oct 2022 08:46
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55040

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