Analysis of Motivation for Adults - Essay Example

Motivating Adults

Motivation is the drive that causes us to do things to accomplish tasks or achieve a goal. Motivation causes individuals to experience the desire to act in a certain way or adopt a particular way of thinking to attain their objectives. Motivation is a mainstream issue that applies in all aspects of our lives and can often cause action or inaction by the individuals depending on the felt deficiency of need (Hoque, 2016). Notably, the concept of motivation has been analyzed throughout history and developments in understanding cause and effect have been gradually made, for instance, the ancients recognized that the changes in the stages of action and direction were resultants of shifts in one’s internal state and external stimuli (Krafft et al., 2020). The sands of time allowed for different discoveries and theories on motivation. People try to understand how to become and stay motivated considering the human nature of ease of boredom in things, people, or activities, even those that were once exciting. Whatever goals that an individual intends to achieve, be it at the workplace such as advancing their careers and getting that promotion, or at home like growing a kitchen garden; attainment of these goals is heavily reliant on our motivation. Often, people, including adults, need a reminder or stimulation to start or continue pursuing their objectives. Therefore, every person needs to understand, appreciate, and manage their motivation in life. This paper is jotted down to outline specific techniques for motivating adult learners and analyze the concept of motivation.

Motivating adult learners is a challenging task for any person when compared to motivating younger learners. Adult learners are likely to be reluctant to take others seriously, especially professionals, because, unlike children, they have many experiences shaping their opinions (Hoque, 2016). For instance, it could be a challenge for a young counselor or motivational speaker to effectively address a group of older adults despite being a professional because of the notion that wisdom is associated with age. As a result, several theories of learning have been used to improve adult learning, notably the andragogy theory, which uses assumptions to tell about adult learners (Cochran & Brown, 2016). The assumptions include the notion of self-concept, experience, readiness to learn, learning orientation, and the motivation to learn. By employing these assumptions, one can effectively motivate or educate adult learners.

Figure 1: The Andragogy Theory

Source: Learning Theories ETC547 Spring 2011

The andragogy theory states that adults thrive in an autonomous learning environment whereby they are allowed to make decisions concerning their education (Cochran & Brown, 2016). Adults are self-directed; therefore, instruction should provide a chance for them to explore on their own, requiring only guidance and correcting mistakes. Adults develop the art of self-motivation with maturity, which gives them an internal drive to persist, be productive, and the desire to keep going regardless of the obstacles they might encounter. As explained in the andragogy theory, self-motivation does not require supervision because the individual is mature enough to understand their obligation to solve problems and, in fact, yearns for freedom or autonomy with minimal guidance (Cochran & Brown, 2016). Some degree of autonomy can go a long way into encouraging participation and can be achieved by providing options on how to go about different parts of the study. Moreover, the individual is a facilitator and not a grader or a lecturer.

The facilitator can involve the adults in the planning and evaluation of the instructions. Before moving forward, the facilitator must invite the adults to make suggestions on how they would have the meetings. The adults can participate. Whenever a consensus is made in the decision making, planning, or scheduling, the facilitator can establish a relationship based on respect for each other’s opinion and their right to make decisions on matters that affect their lives. The simple act will increase participation and attendance during these meetings and encourage the adults to implement what is taught.

Furthermore, the facilitator must include a learning objectives session at the beginning of the lessons. Learning objectives serve to ensure proper planning, set a course of direction, and outlines expectation at the end of an activity. The facilitator can present the contents of the study and purpose based on the learning objectives. Additionally, they are a guide to ensure the discussions and content do not digress and bring them back to the topic if they digress from the scope identified in the objectives (Hoque, 2016). Moreover, set objectives motivate the learner to desire to attain them and are used to evaluate the success of the activity. For instance, the facilitator can have the mid-level managers explain the company's mission and vision, after which they would ease the learners to the idea of learning objectives.

The motivation can either be intrinsic informed by the satisfaction of accomplishing something one sets to do or extrinsic informed by the certification, recognition, or promotion that one receives after a training session. Intrinsic motivation encompasses participating in an activity or behavior without getting any rewards or avoiding any punishments; rather, the activity or behavior is a reward on its own. The behavior or activity is personally rewarding and is considered an end in itself rather than a means to an end. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation happens when we are motivated to perform an activity or improve our behavior to avoid punishment or earn a reward. The motive is primarily influenced by external factors without which effort would seize because we no longer hope to get anything in return. Such motivation recognizes behavior or activities as a means to an end, the reward, or punishment. Krathwohl’s affective domain relates to affective learning, which is revealed by behaviors demonstrating attitudes of interest, awareness, the capability to listen and actively participate, and the ability to be appropriate in demonstrating these attitudinal traits or values (Hoque, 2016). It can be used in assessing the achievement of the learning objectives and in relating the effectiveness of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

Learning objectives will require the development of the session's content and subject in a detailed manner. Therefore, the facilitator should aim at tailoring their content towards subjects that would interest adults. Such subjects must have immediate relevance to the adults' jobs, like the mid-level managers in this case, and their personal lives. Adults have had many experiences in life. To avoid being overwhelmed, individuals tend to learn consciously or unconsciously how to 'sieve' information and activities and prioritize on which to spend their attention based on relevance. Work and family are important; as such, they are given a priority and will raise interest in adults. Therefore, the facilitator should focus on these aspects of life to incite and maintain the attention of their adult learners. It will ensure they are attentive and can participate more during the session.

Additionally, learning should be centered around solving problems instead of being content-centered. At their age, adults have learned from life the skill of problem-solving, which they have to do in their everyday lives. It may be solving major problems such as making decisions on mergers at work or minor problems like deciding to throw away the trash to avoid mice. Either way, they are accustomed to a problem-solving way of life. On that note, motivating adult learners will require the facilitator to develop tasks in which they can find solutions, such as case studies followed by questions, simulations, role-playing, or self-evaluation (Krafft et al., 2020). It is important to realize that unlike children who are largely concerned with memorization, adults are concerned about accomplishing tasks at home and in the workplace. Therefore, task-oriented content related to the target adult group, the mid-level managers, should be used to bring a sense of familiarity and hominess in the motivation session. Such an environment makes individuals feel free to be vulnerable, and thus issues that would have otherwise not been inquired about are clarified.

The facilitator should acknowledge that the adults already know some of the things they will be tackling. Unlike children, adults have read, heard, or could even be experts at whatever is being taught regardless of whether or not it relates to their profession (Cochran & Brown, 2016). Capitalizing on their knowledge as managers will help the facilitator understand their working environment and use relevant examples that hit home when explaining different notions. For example, the mid-level managers have been supervisors in their companies with subordinates that they manage and award or promote depending on their criteria. Asking them to recount some of their employee's behavior, motivation, and how they believe it relates to the employee's productivity will help them appreciate the notion of internal motivation.

Moreover, inquiring from adults gives them a sense of worth. They feel that their opinions are acknowledged, appreciated, and need. Such emotions cause people to be active and readily offer their thoughts. Moreover, adults should be encouraged to participate in group discussions whereby each group is assigned a task to complete. Working in groups will enhance the group members' external motivation to participate as they aim to ensure their group emerges first (Krafft et al., 2020). A reward should be given to the winning group. Such an incentive will serve to motivate the learners to take the group work seriously as they try to win the prize.

When motivating adult learners, the means of communication should be explicit, accessible, and relevant considering the age of the recipients. Delivery materials such as texts should be easily readable without constraining to encourage them to reference their notes in the future. Moreover, the facilitator should use narratives in their explanations of different notions. Narratives are easily relatable as they engage the audience's brain and emotions, causing them to be empathetic with the speaker. Also, using visual graphics and enticing participation through games encourages the adult learners to receive the information given by attending, respond, value it by showing consistent behavior, internalize the values and incorporate the value in their daily lives.

Furthermore, a question and answer session should be included as they conclude. The learners should be given a chance for questions and answers on any concepts they might have concerning the concepts covered. It will give them the chance to clarify notions they are yet to understand. Also, the facilitator should allow feedback in terms of teach-back by several learners to emphasize lessons taught and assess their level of understanding. The teach-back will also recount the lessons' major ideas and provide a summary that can be noted for future reference.

Conclusively, motivation is a drive our desire that, when rightfully tapped into, can lead to the accomplishment of one's goal. The notion of motivation is significant in society because it helps us understand the drive or desire we fee to accomplish something. Notably, the andragogy theory has been used to explain the traits of adult learning, and these have guided the techniques that can be employed to motivate adult learners. Motivating adult learners can be challenging even for an expert because of the individuals' long-held perceptions, which can be difficult to change. Also, motivation can be intrinsic informed by the satisfaction of accomplishing something one sets to do, or extrinsic informed by incentives one hopes to acquire as a result of completing a task such as a reward. All individuals need to be motivated to accomplish their ambitions or tasks they set out to do.

Furthermore, the facilitator must include a learning objectives session at the beginning of the lessons. Learning objectives serve to ensure proper planning, set a course of direction, and outlines expectation at the end of an activity. The facilitator can present the contents of the study and purpose based on the learning objectives. Additionally, they are a guide to ensure the discussions and content do not digress and bring them back to the topic if they digress from the scope identified in the objectives (Hoque, 2016). Moreover, set objectives motivate the learner to desire to attain them and are used to evaluate the success of the activity. For instance, the facilitator can have the mid-level managers explain the company's mission and vision, after which they would ease the learners to the idea of learning objectives.

The motivation can either be intrinsic informed by the satisfaction of accomplishing something one sets to do or extrinsic informed by the certification, recognition, or promotion that one receives after a training session. Intrinsic motivation encompasses participating in an activity or behavior without getting any rewards or avoiding any punishments; rather, the activity or behavior is a reward on its own. The behavior or activity is personally rewarding and is considered an end in itself rather than a means to an end. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation happens when we are motivated to perform an activity or improve our behavior to avoid punishment or earn a reward. The motive is primarily influenced by external factors without which effort would seize because we no longer hope to get anything in return. Such motivation recognizes behavior or activities as a means to an end, the reward, or punishment. Krathwohl’s affective domain relates to affective learning, which is revealed by behaviors demonstrating attitudes of interest, awareness, the capability to listen and actively participate, and the ability to be appropriate in demonstrating these attitudinal traits or values (Hoque, 2016). It can be used in assessing the achievement of the learning objectives and in relating the effectiveness of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

Learning objectives will require the development of the session's content and subject in a detailed manner. Therefore, the facilitator should aim at tailoring their content towards subjects that would interest adults. Such subjects must have immediate relevance to the adults' jobs, like the mid-level managers in this case, and their personal lives. Adults have had many experiences in life. To avoid being overwhelmed, individuals tend to learn consciously or unconsciously how to 'sieve' information and activities and prioritize on which to spend their attention based on relevance. Work and family are important; as such, they are given a priority and will raise interest in adults. Therefore, the facilitator should focus on these aspects of life to incite and maintain the attention of their adult learners. It will ensure they are attentive and can participate more during the session.

Additionally, learning should be centered around solving problems instead of being content-centered. At their age, adults have learned from life the skill of problem-solving, which they have to do in their everyday lives. It may be solving major problems such as making decisions on mergers at work or minor problems like deciding to throw away the trash to avoid mice. Either way, they are accustomed to a problem-solving way of life. On that note, motivating adult learners will require the facilitator to develop tasks in which they can find solutions, such as case studies followed by questions, simulations, role-playing, or self-evaluation (Krafft et al., 2020). Read More