“Why don’t they participate?” Reasons for nonparticipation in adult learning and education from the viewpoint of self-determination theory

Authors

  • Jan Kalenda Research Centre of the Faculty of Humanities, Tomas Baťa University
  • Illona Kočvarová

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.3535

Keywords:

attitudes to education, dispositional barriers, lifelong learning, nonparticipation in adult education, self-determination theory

Abstract

The study deals with the perceived reasons for nonparticipation in adult learning and

education (ALE), drawing on existing research concerning the motivation for lifelong

learning, adult attitudes towards education, and the study of dispositional barriers. The

aim of the study is to determine the subjective reasons/motivation of adults not to

participate in ALE and what factors influence their nonparticipation. For this purpose,

we drew on self-determination theory (SDT). Based on that we have created the research

tool “Motivation to Nonparticipation Scale” (MNP-S), which measures three factors:

extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, and amotivation. The empirical research was

conducted with a representative sample of adults (N = 943, age: 19 to 81 years) who had

not participated in ALE. Contrary to theoretical assumptions of SDT, amotivated adults

do not predominate among nonparticipants, with the main subjective reasons for

nonparticipation based on intrinsic or extrinsic motivations.

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Published

2022-01-25

How to Cite

Kalenda, J., & Kočvarová, I. (2022). “Why don’t they participate?” Reasons for nonparticipation in adult learning and education from the viewpoint of self-determination theory. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 13(2), 193–208. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.3535