DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATION MODELS from single predicting elements to complex system models

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DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATION MODELS from single
predicting elements to complex system models

• Dr. Jyri Manninen
• University of Helsinki
• Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education

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Structure of presentation

• Participation in adult education
• Cumulative, but not deterministic ? challenges to
  research
• Explanations and current understanding
• Sociological, psychological, and interaction
  models
• Eggs, chickens complexity?
• Towards complex system models

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Heavy users passive adults (Rinne, Kivinen
Ahola 1992)

• Heavy users have participated most actively
  in AE in 1990
• Passive adults have not at all participated
  in AE in 1990
• Heavy Passive
• users adults
• Socio-economic background (row )
• Higher whitecollar 89 11
• Lower whitecollar 55 45
• Worker 3 97
• farmer 10 90
• Entrepreneur 11 89

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Heavy users passive adults(Rinne, Kivinen
Ahola 1992)

• Heavy Passive
• users adults
• Basic educational background (row )
• highest 62 38
• middle 31 69
• basic 14 86
• Vocational training
• University 92 8
• Polytechnics 74 26
• School 18 82
• Course 11 89

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Challenges for research

• Cumulative nature of participation
• The Rule is more applicable at the end of the
  scales
• What do we know about the learning behaviour of
  the grey masses? (cf. 55 active against 45
  passive white collars?)
• Rule breakers
• What motivates them to participate against all
  odds?
• Non-participants
• How to motivate? (Why to motivate?)
• How to describe/ understand/ predict/ support
  learning behaviour?

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Models of explanation

• Sociological
• Environment, society, social class as the
  motivating factor
• Lehtonen Tuomisto 1972
• Psychological
• individual personality differences
• Boshier 1973
• Interactional
• interaction of individual and environment
• Rubenson 1979
• (Postmodern)
• individual as a consumer, decisions based on
  images and feelings
• Manninen 2004

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Models of explanation
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Psychological

• personality
• activity level
• learning skills
• aptitude
• growth motives
• attitudes

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Psychological modelcongruence-model (Boshier
1973)

• based on self-theory (Rogers)
• the basic element predicting participation and
  drop-out is the congruence /incongruence between
  the self and the institution, other people and
  the ideal self
• incongruence between the self and training
  environment (people, institutions) explains
  non-participation and drop-out
• traditional' obstacles usually given as reasons
  for non-participation (such as age, long travel
  etc.) usually lead to drop-out, if there is
  incongruence

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Growth and deficiency motives

• growth motivated person is inner directed,
  independent, open to new experiences, and
  creative
• deficiency motivated" persons behaviour is
  influenced by social and environmental factors
  work and education are seen as tools for
  satisfying basic needs and reaching some
  objectives, not as a value in itself or part of
  life

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Congruence model (Boshier 1973)
Deficiency motivation ? Intra-self incongruence
DROPOUT
self/student incongruence self/lecturer
incongruence self/ ? incongruence
Social psychological mediating variables
Sub-environmental mediating variables
self/student congruence self/lecturer
congruence self/ ? congruence
PERSISTENCE
Growth motivation ? Intra-self congruence
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Sociological

• social status and class determine motivation
• (A) way of life, habits
• (B) simple jobs and tasks ? no motivation to
  learn better skills
• the more demanding job ? the more motivated to
  participate ? the more opportunities to use the
  new skills

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Lehtonen Tuomisto 1972
POLITICAL SYSTEM - social, economical, and
educational policy ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Social class
FELT RELEVANCE
INFORMATION ABOUT TRAI- NING OPPORTU- NITIES
USE OF TRAI- NING OPPOR- TUNITIES
WILLINGNESS TO PARTICI- PATE IN ORGANICED ADULT
EDUCATION
MEANING, OUTCOME
not interested to participate
no information about opportu- nities
offer do not meet the felt needs
specific obstacles
cost/benefit inbalance
OBSTACLES
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Interaction between the individual and
environment

• socialisation through family, school and work
• individual as an decision maker in various
  contexts
• Lewin Field theory

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Expectancy/valence model (Rubenson 1979)
Expectancy the expectation that education will
have certain desireable consequences X
the expectation of being able to participate
in and complete the edu- cation
Socialization through family, school and work
Active preparedness
Congenital properties
Structural factors in the environment (values of
member- and reference groups, study
possibilities)
Perception and interpretation of the environment
FORCE (the strength whereof will
determine behaviour)
The individuals experience of needs
Valence of the education
Current needs of the individual
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Chain of responce model (COR) (Cross 1981)
Life transitions
Information
Self-evaluation
Importance of goals and expectation
that participation will meet goals
Opportunities and barriers
Participation
Attitudes about education
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ISSTAL-model (Cookson 1986)

Personality traits
Retained information
External context
Social background social roles
Situational variables
Participation
Intellectual capacities
Attitudinal dispositions
more relevant
Less relevant
Continuum of breadth of relevance
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Development of models(Manninen 1989)
Lehtonen Tuomisto
Cookson
Rubenson
Cross
Boshier
structural factors social status changes obstacles
/incentives information felt relevance attitudes
about training felt need psychological
factors personality
X X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X
X X X X X X
psychological
sociological
X X
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There has been a tendency to move..

• from single influencing factors to complex
  structures
• from single explanations (sociological vs.
  psychological) to more complex interaction models
• from overestimated power of previous schooling
  experiences and personality characteristics to
  analysis of current life- and work situation as a
  motivating element in the individuals behaviour.
• (Manninen 1989 Rinne al. 1992 Rubenson
  2001)

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Changes in research methodology and behavioural
sciences indicate that...

• we should look for multiple explanatory factors
  instead of single influencing variables
• causal mechanisms should be treated as
  probabilistic
• instead of looking for cause reaction pairs, we
  should analyse the whole situation where
  different parts are in constant interaction
  (mutual simultaneous shaping).
• more emphasis should be based on how people
  perceive reality, not on the reality itself,
  since people behave according to their
  interpretations, feelings and images.
• peoples behaviour should be analysed as a more
  or less rationale process based on individuals
  free will and decision making
• behaviour should be analysed in its context
  using qualitative methods decision and choices
  are based on the interpretation and understanding
  of past and present experiences and on the future
  expectations.
• (cf. Silverman 1993 Hage Meeker 1987 Marton
  1988 Lincoln Guba 1985)

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"Innumerable studies have been conducted and many
theories developed, but the understanding and
prediction of adult learner behaviour has not
progressed significantly. It would appear that at
the heart of the problem is a basic disregard for
the inherent complexity of human behaviour."
(Garrison 1987, 212).
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Eggs, chicken complexity
needs
professional status
educational level
felt needs
qualification requirements
information about learning opportunities
PARTICIPATION
attitudes about education
images
experiences
Significant others
childhood
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Towards systemic understanding?
Individual variables
genome
personality
socialisation
PARTICIPATION
Interaction variables
Sociological/structural
psychological/individual
felt needs
obstacles
reference group
qualification requirements
Sociological variables
social class
Background variables/ less relevant
Contextual variables / more relevant
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Theory of participation(?)
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References

• Boshier, 1973. Educational participation and
  dropout. A theoretical model. Adult Education 23,
  4, 255 282.
• Cookson, P. 1986. A Framework for Theory and
  Research on Adult Education Participation. Adult
  Education Quarterly 36, 3, 130-141.
• Cross, K. 1981. Adults as Learners. San
  Francisco Jossey- Bass.
• Garrison, D. 1987. Dropout Prediction Within a
  Broad Psychosocial Context an Analysis of
  Boshier's Congruence Model. Adult Education
  Quarterly 37, 4, 212-222.
• Hage, J. Meeker, B. F. 1987. Social Causality.
  Boston Unwin Hyman.
• Jensen, R. 1999. The Dream Society How the
  Coming Shift from Information to Imagination Will
  Transform Your Business. McGraw-Hill.
• Lehtonen, H. Tuomisto, J. 1972.
  Aikuiskoulutukseen osallistuminen. Teoreettinen
  prosessimalli. Tampereen Yliopisto,
  Aikuiskasvatuksen laitos, tutkimuksia ja
  selvityksiä 1.
• Lincoln Guba 1985. Naturalistic inquiry.
  Beverly Hills Sage.
• Manninen, J. 1989. Aikuiskoulutukseen
  osallistuminen. Osallistumista selittävien
  mallien tarkastelua. Aikuiskoulutuksen 1.
  tutkijatapaaminen. Tampereen yliopiston aikuis-
  ja nuorisokasvatuksen laitoksen julkaisuja
  25/1989, 24-32.
• Manninen, J. 2004. Adult participation in dream
  society - images of adult education. In Marco
  Radovan Neda Dordevic (eds.). Current Issues in
  Adult Learning and Motivation. Ljubljana
  Slovenian Institute for Adult Education.

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References

• Marton, F. 1988. Phenomenography A research
  approach to investigating different understanding
  of reality. In R.R. Sherman R.B. Webb (toim.)
  Qualitative research in education Focus and
  methods. London Falmer, 142-161.
• Pintrich, P. Ruohotie, P. 2000. Conative
  constructs and self-regulated learning.
  Hameenlinna Research Centre for Vocational
  Education.
• Rinne, R., Kivinen, O. Ahola, S. 1992.
  Aikuisten kouluttautuminen Suomessa.
  Osallistuminen, kasautuminen ja preferenssit.
  Turun yliopisto, Koulutussosiologian
  tutkimusyksikkö, Tutkimusraportteja 10.
• Rubenson, K. 1979. Recruitment to Adult Education
  in the Nordic Countries - Research and
  Outreaching Activities. Stockholm Institute of
  Education, Department of Educational Research,
  Reports on Education and Psychology nr. 3.
• Rubenson, K. 2001. The Adult Education and
  Training Survey. Measuring Motivation and
  Barriers in the AETS A Critical Review. Human
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• Silverman, D. 1993. Interpreting qualitative
  data. Methods for analysing talk, text and
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