The Relationship between Workplace Climate,Motivation and Learning Approaches for Knowledge Workers

Workplace learning is becoming a central tenet for a large proportion of today’s employees. This seems especially true for so-called knowledge workers. Today, it remains unclear how differences in the quality of workplace learning are affected by differences in perception of the workplace environment and the motivation of knowledge workers to learn. Moreover, the possible role of motivation as a mediating factor between workplace climate factors and learning is underexplored. This paper therefore investigates direct and indirect links between perceptions of the workplace climate, motivation to learn and approaches to learning in the workplace. Knowledge workers (N?=?202) in one knowledge intensive organisation were questioned using existing and adapted questionnaires to measure learning approaches, motivation and workplace climate. Correlations and multivariate regression analyses were carried out to assess direct relationships amongst variables. Path analysis was carried out to assess the mediating role of motivation. Results show that both workplace climate factors and motivation directly influence employees’ approaches to learning. Some direct relationships between workplace climate factors and motivation were also uncovered. Results regarding the mediating role of motivation showed that the effect of good supervision on deep learning is completely mediated by autonomous motivation. The effect of choice independence on deep learning approach is partially mediated by the same motivational drive. A-motivation was found to partially mediate the link between good supervision and a surface disorganised approach. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

组织因素对建筑企业专业技术人员培训的影响

本文以杭州市建筑企业专业技术人员为例,通过问卷调查收集数据,分析组织因素对专业技术人员(知识型员工)培训效果的影响。研究结果表明,上级支持、同事支持和管理沟通对知识型员工的培训动机有正向影响,并通过培训动机的中介作用显著影响培训效果;培训决策权的集中程度对培训设计有负向影响,管理沟通对培训设计有正向影响,且二者通过培训设计的中介作用显著影响培训效果。建议企业从上级支持、同事支持、管理沟通和分权决策四个组织因素出发,通过建立培训支持体系、培训合作制度,以及营造学习型文化氛围等管理方式的改进,提升知识型员工的培训效果。     

Learning by starch potato growers: learning in small businesses with no employees

In small businesses with no employees, learning environments have a low learning readiness. Consequently, learners need to rely on their own agency to shape their learning experiences. Results from a study of agricultural entrepreneurs indicated that the components of motivation and self-regulated learning strategies shape learner's agency and explain learning environment configuration in small businesses with no employees. Configuration of the learning environment was found to be a weak determinant of the learning performance of these learners. However, results showed that prior performance of learners in small businesses with no employees dictates how their agency operates and what learning effect is achieved; higher prior performance results in higher learning effects. We conclude that mechanisms that underlie learning in traditional learning environments work similarly in learning environments in small businesses with no employees.     

Equity and lifelong learning: lessons from workplace learning in Scottish SMEs

Workplace learning is identified by UK and Scottish governments as an important means of achieving social mobility, and therefore producing a more equal society. However, there appears to be a patchwork of provision and funding arrangements, making it difficult for employers and employees to identify suitable routes. Analysis of large scale survey data at European and Scottish levels shows that existing inequalities are further entrenched by differential access to and participation in workplace learning, where those with existing high levels of qualification have far greater opportunities. This paper draws on data drawn from an EU Sixth Framework funded study of lifelong learning, focusing in particular on case studies of six Scottish SMEs which are used to identify some of the reasons underlying inequalities in access to workplace learning. Whilst all of the SMEs had a positive approach to employee development, they differed in the type of work they undertook and the composition of the workforce. Employees in knowledge intensive organisations were immersed in a culture where on‐going learning was an expected part of working life, and was driven by both employers’ and employees’ expectations. By way of contrast, more traditional manufacturing and training organisations had a more restricted approach to learning, encouraging employees to undertake courses which would give them the skills to do their jobs more effectively, but with less focus on their wider growth and development. All firms treated lifelong learning with some degree of scepticism, ultimately prioritising company profitability over individual employee development and seeing the two as sometimes at variance. Given the Scottish government’s desire to promote the demand side of skill development, the barriers posed by employers’ attitudes need to be addressed, particularly in relation to lower‐skilled workers in manufacturing firms, who might have less intrinsic motivation, but are also less likely to receive encouragement and support from their employer.     

Curiosity, interest and engagement in technology-pervasive learning environments: a new research agenda

This paper identifies the need for developing new ways to study curiosity in the context of today’s pervasive technologies and unprecedented information access. Curiosity is defined in this paper in a way which incorporates the concomitant constructs of interest and engagement. A theoretical model for curiosity, interest and engagement in new media technology-pervasive learning environments is advanced, taking into consideration personal, situational and contextual factors as influencing variables. While the path associated with curiosity, interest, and engagement during learning and research has remained essentially the same, how individuals tackle research and information-seeking tasks and factors which sustain such efforts have changed. Learning modalities for promoting this theoretical model are discussed leading to a series of recommendations for future research. This article offers a multi-lens perspective on curiosity and suggests a multi-method research agenda for validating such a perspective.     

The influence of perceived convenience and curiosity on continuance intention in mobile English learning for high school students using PDAs

Mobile learning aims to utilise communication devices such as mobile devices and wireless connection in combination with e-learning systems, allowing learners to experience convenient, instant and suitable learning at unrestricted time and place. Participants were 125 Taiwanese senior high school students, whose continuance intention was examined after learning English via PDAs (personal digital assistants). The study, using the one-group post-test design, adopted the Technology Acceptance Model and incorporated factors such as curiosity and perceived convenience. The results indicated that (1) curiosity had a positive effect on continuance intention; (2) perceived convenience had a positive effect on perceived usefulness and continuance intention.     

以能力标准为核心、模块课程为载体、工学结合为手段、技能鉴定为保障培养高技能人才

重庆电子工程职业学院“能力标准为核心、模块课程为载体、工学结合为手段、技能鉴定为保障”的高技能人才培养模式确立了以行业主导开发的能力标准在人才培养过程中的核心地位．充分利用学校和行业两种不同的教育环境和资源,将在校的理论学习、基本技能训练与在行业的实际工作有机结合起来,并通过技能鉴定,使培养出的学生能够最大程度满足行业的需要。     

Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model: Contemporary support for an established theory

This study was an effort to add to the body of research surrounding Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model (BEM). The model was tested to determine its ability to explain factor relationships of organizational safety culture in a high‐risk work environment. Three contextual variables were measured: communication, resource availability, and incentives; and the impact of contextual variables on safety motivation were evaluated. The study produced three outcomes: (1) data and the BEM model demonstrated good fit, (2) communication and resource availability were indirectly related to safety motivation, and (3) incentives mediated the indirect effects of communication and resource availability with motivation. Research findings serve to inform the practice of human performance technology, as Gilbert's model is a primary performance diagnostic tool, adaptable to essentially any workplace context.     

Promoting communication skills for information systems students in Australian and Portuguese higher education: Action research study

This paper aims to examine the value of communication skills learning process through various assessments in Information Systems (IS) postgraduate units in Australia and Portugal. Currently, communication skills are indispensable to students in expanding their social networks and their knowledge at university and in the future workplace, since businesses expect their employees to have strong communication and presentation skills. This paper provides empirical evidence based on the anonymous quantitative and qualitative data collected during 2 years from 126 postgraduate students, which were collected via formal and informal feedback. Various assessment methods were used in Information Systems units to promote and develop the communication skills; these assessments are: reflective journal, business plan and prototype, discussion forum, presentation, and final examination. A Communication skills model (CSM) was developed based on Action research principles to promote the assessments which will assist IS students to enhance their communication skills. The research outcomes indicated that integrating communication skills in the assessments will allow students to promote their communication skills and boost their self-esteem skills. Furthermore, this paper added a new theoretical and practical contribution to higher-education teaching and learning literature, especially the action research for teachers to promote and develop communication skills among students. Finally, integrating these skills in the units should meet the objectives and aims of the units, Master’s degrees, universities, and businesses’ needs, and satisfy our student’s needs.     

How First-Class Undergraduate Education Reform in the United States Can Inform the Development of Double First Class Education in China

Abstract

As learning institutions, U.S. universities aim to provide abundant learning opportunities to fulfill students’ right to learn. Undergraduate education is considered an important component of lifelong learning and aims to enable students to “learn how to learn.” During the undergraduate stage, schools pay special attention to cultivating students’ critical thinking and curiosity, emphasizing five core competencies in writing, reading, research, quantitative analysis, and communication. They use summer reading, undergraduate research, seminars, learning communities, and academic advising as platforms to expand students’ learning experiences, especially those of first-year students. They encourage students to innovate and start their own businesses, and promote equal access to education, thereby strengthening student retention and successful graduation.     

Shifting the focus from motivated learners to motivating distributed environments: a review of 40 years of published motivation research in Distance Education

ABSTRACT

This article reviews motivation research published in Distance Education since 1980, highlighting the major foci of investigation and reflecting on past findings. A major trend was that past research has focused predominantly on learners’ motivational attributes using sociocognitive models of motivation. We therefore have developed a good understanding of motivating variables such as self-efficacy and their power in engaging learners. However, this can be problematic because sociocognitive research situates motivation within an individualistic paradigm with limited attention given to examining whether learning supports and instructional designs in open and distance learning mediate and motivate learning engagement. Building on the review, this article seeks to shift the research attention from whether learners are motivated to crafting an open and distance learning system that is motivating and engaging by tapping into multiple motivation sources available beyond the confines of an individualistic frame.     

Fostering Intrinsic Motivation in Early Childhood Classrooms

Young children are born with an innate curiosity to learn about their world. This intrinsically instigated learning is often called mastery motivation. Patterns of motivation are established at an early age. The early childhood years are crucial for establishing robust intrinsic motivational orientations which will last a lifetime. By the time many children reach school, much of their motivation has been lost or replaced with extrinsically motivated learning strategies. Preschools and elementary schools have been criticized for contributing to such negative motivational patterns in children. This can be changed. Early child care situations and preschools can instead be instrumental in the strengthening of children's motivation. The goal of this paper is to show that through an understanding of the beginnings of motivation, we can begin to find ways to build strong motivational patterns in children that can carry on to later years of learning.     

Pathways from parental stimulation of children’s curiosity to high school science course accomplishments and science career interest and skill

Curiosity is fundamental to scientific inquiry and pursuance. Parents are important in encouraging children’s involvement in science. This longitudinal study examined pathways from parental stimulation of children’s curiosity per se to their science acquisition (SA). A latent variable of SA was indicated by the inter-related variables of high school science course accomplishments, career interest, and skill. A conceptual model investigated parental stimulation of children’s curiosity as related to SA via science intrinsic motivation and science achievement. The Fullerton Longitudinal Study provided data spanning school entry through high school (N?=?118). Parental stimulation of curiosity at age 8 years comprised exposing children to new experiences, promoting curiosity, encouraging asking questions, and taking children to a museum. Intrinsic motivation was measured at ages 9, 10, and 13 years, and achievement at ages 9, 10, and 11 years. Structural equation modelling was used for analyses. Controlling for socio-economic status, parental stimulation of curiosity bore positive and significant relations to science intrinsic motivation and achievement, which in turn related to SA. Gender neither related to stimulation of curiosity nor contributed to the model. Findings highlight the importance of parental stimulation of children’s curiosity in facilitating trajectories into science, and relevance to science education is discussed.     

在地理教学中激发学生学习动机的尝试

兴趣是最好的老师,学生学习的积极性、主动性往往以自己的兴趣为转移,它是促进学生主动学习的重要因素和内在动力。在教学中教师要充分利用学生的好奇心创设情境、开展竞赛活动、积极开辟第二课堂,激发学生的学习兴趣,诱发他们主动参与学习的动机,积极引导学生自主学习、探究发现、合作交流,从而拓展学生学习知识的渠道,拓展学生发展的空间。只有这样,才能更好地完成教学任务。     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Experiential education can be taught most effectively in the outdoors when linked to the psychological foundations of teaching and learning. These include communication, perception, arousal, and motivation. Differences are explained for both teaching and learning styles.

Experiential education is distinguished from experiential learning, and salient educational strategies are integrated into the education cycle. These include focusing, feedback and support, self-responsibility, and reflecting. The importance of debriefing or processing is stressed, and an experiential method is included enabling symbolic communication through “active reviewing.” The environment is a critical factor in this form of education. A major goal is to stimulate curiosity and self-motivation. Structuring traditional and experiential methods, “grasshopper teaching,” and individual and cooperative learning draw the foundations of teaching and learning together.     

Complicity and control in the workplace: a critical case study of TQM,learning, and the management of knowledge

This article analyses how a Total Quality Management process with an embedded workplace literacy programme was implemented in an industrial manufacturing plant. Designed as an insider/outsider team research project, data were collected through interviews with management personnel, education and training providers, and hourly workers. Findings reveal that the Total Quality Management process and the literacy programme were implemented under the guise of providing education and training for workers, but were driven by corporate policy to reduce labour costs. The study also examines the way in which adult education was complicit in controlling workplace knowledge.     

Wanting and Liking: Components of Situated Motivation Constructs?

Brain studies have revealed that 2 neurological systems, one for “wanting” and one for “liking,” are responsible for many instances of motivated behavior. If wanting and liking are fundamental elements of motivation, then we should also expect to see them represented in educational models of motivation for learning. However, it has not yet been established whether this is the case. Situated instances of motivation, such as when a student feels motivated to immediately engage in learning, can potentially be informed by education constructs such as curiosity, situational interest, intrinsic motivation, achievement emotions, and flow. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether the two elements, wanting and liking, can be identified in each of these constructs. The analysis revealed that the education constructs could be inferred to include wanting and liking. It is proposed that a focus on these fundamental elements might aid our understanding of motivation in educational settings.     

高师公共教育学课堂中的情绪管理

高师公共教育学课堂中因学生学习动机减弱而出现诸如兴趣降低等消极情绪表现.为此,课堂教学的组织管理可以激发学生好奇、培养兴趣,体验愉快为核心,在课前、课中、课后采取不同的情绪管理策略,以期达到改善课堂教学质量的目的.     

农民工返乡创业驱动因素及对策研究

文章以四川省6个行政村的204位返乡农民工为例,通过问卷调查和实地访谈发现,驱动农民工主动返乡创业的因素包括思乡情结、个人成就动机、国家政策和其他创业者的示范作用;迫使农民工被动返乡创业的因素有家庭照料压力、务工地经济发展状况和对城市工作与生活的不适;阻碍农民工返乡创业的主要因素有社会资本对比性损耗、创业环境不佳、市场信息获取渠道不畅通和自身风险承受能力弱等因素。最后,针对以上分析为推动农民工返乡创业提出相应的对策。     

‘Reporting Trainee Competence: what,and how much do employers need to know?

ABSTRACT

Three major elements in the Australian national workplace reform agenda are the introduction of key/generic workplace competencies, national occupational employment standards and a competency‐based education‐training system that recognises prior learning and assures development of identified competencies, both generic and occupationally specific. Attempts to develop effective and efficient assessment schemes to determine participant competence are underway. A continuing major concern, however, is how best to report information to potential employers. While employers need sufficient relevant information to make informed hiring decisions there is the distinct danger of providing too much detailed information in a competency‐based education system that it is not able to be used in a timely and efficient fashion. This paper reviews the merits of selected reporting schemes being considered, and then presents questions for further research about employers' reactions to reporting of competency information.