Motivation and the nontraditional adult student

No one motivational theory has ever been widely accepted by adult educators. At present there is a profusion of complex motivational theories which attempt to explain human behavior and individual action. This article overviews three basic types of motivational theories found in the literature today and combines these into a conceptual scheme which can be used by the adult educator. The scheme provides a more thorough understanding of the overlapping motivational theory types allowing learning experiences to be based upon a more consistent set of assumptions and propositions regarding the nature of these nontraditional students and the teaching/learning process.