Learning in multiple contexts: are there intra-, cross- and transcontextual effects on the learner’s motivation and help seeking?

Abstract

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the majority of 15-19-year olds follow vocational education programmes within a dual-track system, spending most of their time in a company and going to school only 1 day each week. With their separate aims, content and sociological organisation, the company and the school can be considered as two distinct contexts within which apprentices have to acquire the various skills and competencies of their future occupation. In this paper, the development of apprentices' learning intentions and motivation to learn, subjective competence, perceived utility of what is learned and estimated learning place attractiveness (study 1) as well as their readiness to seek help in these different contexts over the year of training (study 2) is analysed using both longitudinal and cross-sectional data. The findings show significant differences in apprentices' motivation, their beliefs and their readiness to seek help in the different contexts throughout the training. Moderate (cross-different contexts, same time) as well as transcontextual (different contexts, different times) influences can also be seen. These results emphasise the importance of a careful delimitation of contexts when studying the Eur J Psychol Educ (2012) 27:213-225 impact of contextual factors on learners' motivation and behaviours; they also suggest that motivation within one of these contexts can indirectly affect the learner's motivation within another of these contexts. It is therefore likely that, by using these various dynamics appropriately, educators might temporarily sustain learners' motivation in an unappreciated context by having recourse to a better accepted one.

Broadening the trans‐contextual model of motivation: A study with Spanish adolescents

“…The mechanism of transfer from one context to another in the TCM (e.g., the relationship between autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time) represents a recognition that educational experiences and accompanying behaviors (e.g., learning about physical exercise that one enjoys in PE) that support autonomy, and therefore likely satisfy psychological needs, lead individuals to seek out like experiences in other contexts particularly if there is congruence between the types of motivation in each context. This alignment and transfer process has also been recognized and supported empirically in other areas (Mata et al, 2009;Pavey & Sparks, 2010;Gurtner et al, 2012).…”

The ‘Erfahrraum’: a pedagogical model for designing educational technologies in dual vocational systems

“…The dual-track VET system implies that learning emerges from the interaction of multiple contexts (Horn et al 25 2008;Gurtner et al 2012).…”

Development of motivation in first-year students in Dutch senior secondary vocational education

“…Differences in motivation in the school and in the company contexts were greater, with for school, the lowest motivation for intrinsic motivation. Gurtner, Gulfi, Genoud, de Rocha Trindade, and Schumacher (2012) studied developments in motivation over three years in students in a dual-track system in Switzerland. Overall, Gurtner et al (2012) found a decline in motivated behaviour (in learning intentions, such as readiness to work hard), motivational beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs and the perceived utility of the learning context.…”