Professionals need to learn throughout their entire career due to the rapid changes in technology (Zander, Boustedt, Eckerdal, McCartney, Sanders, Moström, & Thomas, 2012). Professional development is a need for professionals to remain updated in their profession (Murphy, 2008). One way professional development occurs is through e-learning, which provides an environment that supports self-directed learning. It is also cost-effective (Hadwen & Galloway, 2008). The authors indicate the importance of professional development and e-learning. However, there is a lack of insight into understanding what motivates persons to engage in these activities. This study thus aims to understand the motivation for self-directed e-learning for professional development. A qualitative approach occurred via semi-structured interview questions, and findings show that people were the top motivator for this type of learning. Results also show that successful e-learning is applying the knowledge or skills learned, and accomplishing the learning goal. The top influential factors include positive emotions, popular search engines, and freedom of choice. Furthermore, persistence and critical thinking support the process, and hindrances had to do with access and disruptions. This thesis argues that autonomous extrinsic motivation is essential for understanding self-directed e-learning for professional development. Additionally, due to the many factors that influence social context, encouraging this form of professional development may be complicated, yet beneficial.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:liu-168503 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Shameda, Delaney |
| Publisher | Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för beteendevetenskap och lärande |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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