JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

The advent of technology as well as radical changes due to crisis, pandemic and so on requires people to find different ways to adapt resiliently to new situations. As such, employees do not only have to face new information every day but also need to update their expertise while completing their jobs. That implies the need to figure out what can enable individuals to overcome these demands and move forward to lifelong learning. However, not so many studies stressed the importance of motivation in workplace learning, rather motivation to work was more highlighted. Hence, the present study aims to explore motivational beliefs characterizing employees in e-learning courses. On figuring out the influencing motivation, the study attempts to examine strategies employees use to regulate their learning and motivation. A mixed method analysis was conducted. The participants were employees of the company located in Viet Nam. 62 participants responded to the self-report online questionnaire and 2 of them took part in short virtual interviews. The analysis revealed that intrinsic goal orientation was the most influencing factor motivating employees in e-learning courses, followed closely by the belief in task value, self-efficacy, and extrinsic goal orientation. Furthermore, three clusters were created, which showed that employees with different motivational characteristics used self-regulated learning strategies differently, in which strategies were mostly implemented during performance phase and self-reflection phase. Lastly, motivational characteristics might also shape the way employees choose motivational regulation strategies in different ways. As such, regulation of value and regulation of performance were administered predominantly. Briefly, the findings contribute to the field of workplace learning and provide some insights for managements, and education practitioners on igniting more actions to enhance employees’ motivation to learn, and in turn learning engagement and satisfaction.