SASE 2007
Training courses and motivation to
work: a different perspective of
employment impact and evaluation of
employability.
Odella, Dr. Francesca, University of Trento
francesca.odella@soc.unitn.it
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Characteristics of training at the firm
level
Training and motivation
Motivation: social or individual trait?
A case study in motivation and training
courses
Final observations: employability and
motivation
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Characteristics of training at the firm
level
Germany
Japan
Italy
Relevance of
training
Employment
specific
Career specific
Task specific
Core element
Acquisition of
skills
Learning by
doing
Acquisition of
knowledge
Expected
individual results
Improvement of
professional
competence
Sharing of
experiences and
competences
Competence in
action
Links with
production
Preliminary and
anticipated
On the job e
continuous
Separate and
dependant
activity
Long term
Long term
Short term
Time prospective
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Motivation in training courses
 Training courses are developed with the aim to
provide participants skills, knowledge and other
elements of formal learning
 A preliminary experience of the work activity is
also given by means of stages and other forms of
participation to a real work setting/ organization
 Both these activities are supported and sustained
by individual motivation (search for success, fear
of failure, risk taking vs conformity traits).
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What is the role of motivation?
 Enhances learning processes (tasks and
objectives)
 Support reward systems in organizations and
groups
 Plays a role in innovation processes (individual/
group)
 Despite this relevance literature on motivation is
more focused on children and adolescence
learning; few research saseconf07
on adult people
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Individual and social sources of
motivation - I
 Origins of motivation are debated and specifically whether
motivation is originate by individual trait or by social
processes. The drive to act towards a specific objective
can be explained as an individual need but the sources of
this impulse can be various.
 In social psychology the search for the sources of
motivation is related to the identification of preferences (Mc
Clelland, 1953); different aspects of the personality can
influence the performance and the effectiveness of
learning.
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Individual and social sources of
motivation -II
 The concept of level of aspiration is used to explain
individual performance; and the difference between
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation accounts for the type
of relation that the individual tends to establish with the
learning context.
 The interpersonal web of relations and the structure of
the tasks in learning contexts is also linked with
motivation and can reinforce as well as reduce its role.
 Organizational and group norms (from pure
instrumental to moral involvement of members) are
also elements that interfere either positively or
negatively with individual motivation processes.
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Motivation in training courses
 Aim of the study: analyze the role of motivation in training
courses -- Participants to training courses (European
social funds) report an equal highly positive (95%)
evaluation of training activity regardless of the
employment status. Why this positive judgment?
 What is the role of individual motivation in influencing the
effectiveness of training courses? Which role play the
social aspects (organizational, group relationships)?
 Which elements of the learning context are more effective
in providing participants a good training experience and
can improve their employability?
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Impact of motivation on individual perception
of employment status
unemployed
Training
participant
Positive
evaluation
employed
Training
courses
Individual perception
of training efficacy
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The design of the study
Qualitative and in-depth study of a sample of participants
to training courses one year after their experience.
 Sampling was based on one-year database of participants
to European social funds courses (626) and take in
account age, gender, educational level and type of courses
attended. Selected subjects were 50 (25 male and 25
female) and a second equal characteristic sample was also
prearranged.
 Interviewers were also trained on purpose to perform the
colloquium and to collect information about impact of
training courses on personal life of participants (time
management, family impact, personal aspirations..).
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Gender and education rappresentativeness
Vocational training
2
men
women
6
University degree
5
5
High school degree
15
17
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Analysis of interviews
 Multi-methods techniques (Brewer e Hunter, 1989) with
qualitative coding of interviews (blind coding
techniques), content analysis and quantitative analysis
of text (Spad-T).
 Main area of investigation in the interviews were those
specific aspects of motivation linked with (individually
perceived ) impact of courses.
 The relationship between the structure of courses
(content, learning context, organizational elements)
and the impact on the trainee experience and
motivation was also explored.
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Analysis of interviews
Motivational aspects
In the participants’ experience
Effort
Type of effort, organizational problems, time and
family constraints, family and work situation
Perception of training
Relevance of training for prospective employers,
availability of information, relevance on the job
market
Reasons to participate
A – status achievement or B - improvement of
personal situation at work
Evaluation of the training
activity
Teachers, content of training, practical
organization, formal and informal acquisition of
skills
Relationship between
training and placement
Status of trainee at the beginning of courses and at
the end, self-evaluation of effectiveness
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Analysis of interviews
 Mapping of participants perception of the motivational
aspects on the basis of education and gender
differences; comparison of responses among groups,
homogeneity and differences at individual level.
 Two axes (X frequency of aspect, Y relevance of
aspect); Symbols: circle (univ. degree) square
(vocational training), diamond (high school degree)
 Maps in the display: Reasons to participate, Evaluation
of the training activity, Relationship between training
and placement
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Reasons to participate
(univ. degree, high scholl degree, vocational training)
Ragioni della scelta
4,50
RILEVANZA DELLE CITAZIONI
4,00
3,50
3,00
2,50
2,00
1,50
1,00
0,50
0,00
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
FREQUENZA DELLE CITAZIONI
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Relationship between training and
placement
(univ. Degree – vocational training)
RAPPORTO STATUS- PLACEMENT
interviste ai laureati e qualificati
3,50
RILEVANZA DELLE CITAZIONI
3,00
2,50
2,00
1,50
1,00
0,50
0,00
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
7,00
8,00
FREQUENZA DELLE CITAZIONI
lau_m1
lau_m 4
lau_m 6
lau_m 7
qual_m3
qual_m8
qual_f1
qual_f2
lau_f 2
lau_f 3
lau_f 5
lau_f 8
qual_f4
qual_f5
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qual_f6
qual_f7
lau_f 9
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Evaluation of the training activity
(univ. Degree – vocational training)
VALUTAZIONE DELLA FORMAZIONE
interviste a laureati e qualificati
4,00
RILEVANZA DELLE CITAZIONI
3,50
3,00
2,50
2,00
1,50
1,00
0,50
0,00
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
6,00
7,00
8,00
9,00
10,00
FREQUENZA DELLE CITAZIONI
lau_m1
lau_f 8
lau_m 4
qual_m8
lau_m 6
qual_f1
lau_m 7
qual_f4
lau_m 10
qual_f5
lau_f 2
qual_f6
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lau_f 3
qual_f7
lau_f 5
lau_f 9
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Synthesis of results
 Reasons to participate: Homogeneity of perception among educational
groups
 Univ. Degree trainees emphasize the relevance of training for their career
and are highly motivated in participating to a professional skills enhancing
context; High school degree trainees have more variety of reasons and see
training courses also as an opportunity to change type of work activity;
while participants with a vocational degree evaluate the training experience
as a crucial element in their career.
 Relationship between training and placement: Less homogeneity of
responses among participants, gender and age play a crucial role.
 Only a limited group of Univ. and high school trainees have modified
positively their aspiration level as a consequence of participating to the
training activity. Motivation to improve professional condition (status) is
linked to cultural preferences and self-perception of role in the labour
market.
 Evaluation of training activities: educational level plays a role in the
formation of two groups.
 First group (high school and vocational degrees) gives equal relevance to
content and emotional aspects of training, while the second group (Univ.
and high school degree) rewards more content specific activities.
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Final observations: Employability and
motivation
 Organizational culture and systems of rewards can act as
obstacles / incentives for individual motivation. Specifically
practical experiences in training courses can be effective only if
there is a balanced emphasis on individual motivation and is also
supported by organizational elements (supervision, reporting, task
and competence tracking)
 Employability of subjects is reinforced by motivational elements;
motivation enhances competences and specific traits of the
individual which are formally testified in training courses, it also
give the subject self- perceptions of his/her capabilities and
improves interactions at work and in the job market.
 Motivation can also be seen as a resource internal to the
individual that can support phases of change at work and in lifecourse and more specifically social positioning of the individual
towards the others.
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kudos
 The study was realized in 2004 as part of a wider project on
the impact of training activities in the regional labour market of
Trentino Alto Adige and was performed under the supervision
of A.M. Ajello (University of Rome, Faculty of Psychology).
 I wish to thank the director of the ESF training division at PAT,
the supervisor and the group of young researchers that
performed and analyzed part of the interviews.
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