PSYCHO-SOCIAL FACTORS MOTIVATING TERTIARY INSTITUTION WORKERS’
PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
FEJOH, JOHNSON (Ph.D)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS STUDIES
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY
AGO-IWOYE
E-mail: femifejoh@yahoo.com
fejoh.johnson@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng
Tel: +234-8034018505; 8055280864
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PSYCHO-SOCIAL FACTORS MOTIVATING TERTIARY INSTITUTION WORKERS’
PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
ABSTRACT
Man is generally regarded as egocentric in his actions and as a result of this, he does
things that are aimed at satisfying one need or the other. It is in this perspective that I
tried to look at professional continuing education for tertiary institution workers as a
form of education not ordinarily undertaken by professionals concerned but due to
certain motivating factors. These factors are both psychological and social. These
factors also vary from worker to worker considering the personality traits, social
interaction and gender dimensions of workers concerned. This paper attempted to
look into motivation factors as the basis for tertiary institution workers’ participation
in professional continuing education.
Key Words:
Psycho-social factors, tertiary institution workers, motivation, professional
continuing education.
Introduction
Professional continuing education is a form of adult education. This is so because it is a form of
education that is not taken at a regular institution and at a period when such person was trained
initially.
The most comprehensive definition of adult education was suggested in 1976 by the General
Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
By UNESCO definition, adult education is:
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“the entire body of organized educational process, whatever the
content, level and method, whether formal or otherwise, whether
they prolong or replace initial education in schools, colleges and
universities as well as in apprenticeship, whereby persons
regarded as adult by society to which they belong develop their
abilities, enrich their knowledge, improve their technical or
professional qualifications or turn them in a new direction and
bring about changes in their attitude or behaviour in the two fold
perspective of full personal development and participation in
balanced and independent social, economic and cultural
development” (p.67).
There is another important feature of adult education. While education in childhood and youth is
generally compulsory by law in most countries of the world, education in adulthood is based on
voluntarily act. Therefore the educational experience should be seen as something challenging
and useful as a part of personal enrichment, opportunity to bring a change or replacement. In the
decisional process, the person is the main actor. That is why when analyzing participation in
adult education, it is important to consider the decisional process that stands behind the
participation.
While analyzing participation in adult education, there is need to refer to another important
concept; which is lifelong learning. The whole system of adult education in many countries of
the world is implemented in that perspective. There are at least three basic features of lifelong
learning namely:
(i) Education throughout lifespan.
(ii) General or vocational education.
(iii) Professional continuing education
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(i)
This form of education is going to continue throughout the whole life span and not
restricted to the period of youth. This implies even a different concept of adulthood that
is fast developing nowadays; adulthood is not an arrival or a final step of a development
process because the developmental process is continuing even in adulthood as part of an
on-going permanent development. Cross (1981) confirmed that the above implies that the
chronological sequences that implies a division between education/study and work (and
at the same time between youth and adulthood is over. Education in adulthood fits in
among other activities, generally working activities.
(ii)
The implementation of a system of lifelong learning requires the offer of educational
activities addressed to adult users. These educational activities could be general or
vocational. Again, a system of lifelong learning implies the fact that adults have the
possibility to take part in educational activities and that these opportunities are distributed
over the life span of the individual in a recurring way and among the society.
(iv) As mentioned before, one of the main features of adult education is that the person
has the freedom to decide about participation. Participation is a free act and that is
the main difference between education in youth and adulthood.
From that
consideration, the importance of understanding the reasons that guide the workers to
participate is clear and the importance to analyze the factors that motivate
participation as well as deterrents and barriers are clear. The key idea underpinning
lifelong learning for all is that while everyone is able to learn, all must become
motivated to learn and should be actively encouraged to do so throughout life.
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The Concept of Continuing Education
Various available concepts are based on the context, time situations and convenience of the
authors. This is because continuing education is offered through multiplicity of programmes and
that is the reason why it is often referred to extramural education, distance education or out-reach
education. Its programmes are extensive and its strategies have variations for specific groups
and audiences.
Norman (1980) is of the opinion that continuing education must relate to the needs of the labour
force in fast changing economy; to the expectations of workers with more leisure tone, to the
social changes resulting from an equality in status for women, and to the right of citizens and
workers to participate in consultation and decision making at all levels.
This is in essence, means that continuing education may be described as the pastime of a
sensible and discerning adult because it is a means of keeping up with the rapid social, cultural,
economic, political, industrial and technological changes taking place in the world. It is a type of
education aimed at remedying the deficiencies of man, which are multiplied daily because of
advancement in every face of human existence.
The idea of education as a lifelong process is continuously being expressed by educators and
philosophers. This idea is not new. It started from the origin of man. Without doubt, continuing
education started in earnest after the industrial revolution in Europe because of the various
changes in the ways of living of man. These changes could be classified to be political,
occupational, cultural or social and they provide a need for further education and re-education of
the adult to get them adapted to the changing situation.
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The pursuit of knowledge has always been looked up to in so many societies as they go further to
plead over with the dead to continue learning beyond the grave. This is expressed in the advice
that the dead should not eat worms, but should learn to cope with the tradition of the peoples of
the other end of life.
In modern time, Shorey (1983) argues that continuing education helps to provide a society with
thinking citizens as against robots. According to him, independence of thought is more valued
than blind and unquestioning obedience, while critical and rational examination of issues must be
accorded higher values than passive acquiescence. By updating one’s knowledge and experience
through continuous learning, one would not be found wanting in any any areas of human
endeavours he chooses to pitch his tent.
Alan (2005) opined that continuing education aims at producing people who can choose for
themselves what kind of self-actualization they want to pursue. In other words, continuing
education is concerned with the development of the “whole” man. A man who would not be
found wanting, not only in his chosen field, but would be able to discuss current affairs
intelligently.
As we solve the present problems confronting us and give thought to those likely to confront us
in the future, the urgency for continuing education manifests itself. Hence we always need to
strive to update our knowledge, experience and our skills. No amount of formal schooling, no
matter how prolonged, or low much extended, will enable us as individuals to acquire all the
knowledge, insights and understanding we would require to survive in present and in later life.
This is so because life itself inevitably provided unexpected challenges, which in turn require
adaptation, which in itself is a form of learning.
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It is enormously appreciated as our knowledge of yesterday is inadequate to cope with our
problems today. This has been identified as one of the reasons why continuing education should
be encouraged. According to Smith (1977), the rate of technological change has accelerated so
that it is no longer likely that a worker can start at the age of 16 and remain on the same type of
job until he retires. Indeed, it could be argued that we have moved into the two or three skill
society, where it is the accepted pattern to have to change their type of employment.
The training given to a worker under 21 may become largely obsolete by the time he is 31.
These arguments imply that we must constantly strive to improve on our skills and knowledge to
avoid becoming redundant in a fast – changing society. Nothing is static; hence the education
received a decade ago may need modification today, particularly with various changes taking
place. Thus, if an adult has qualified in a profession or vocation, he needs, constantly, to study
more, so that the introduction of any new technology in that profession or vocation may not
catch him unawares.
This perhaps explains the view of Akinpelu (1986) that continuing education should be designed
in such a way as not to serve immediate situational needs alone but must be able to serve the
individual, employer and the society at large especially in the economic society. He adduced
that in order to have an effective programme planning in continuing education programme, the
three type of needs, that is the needs of the individual taking part in the education, the needs of
the employer who may want a highly skilled worker and the needs of the society whose overall
interest is development of the society to meeting all challenges, have to be harmonized and
reconciled.
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Professional Components of Continuing Education
In recent times, continuing education has a professional component whereby education is
provided for adults for occupational updating and improvement. This is usually conducted by
institutions, organizations and business houses and consists of short – term, intensive and
specialization in the field.
Counting on the importance of continuing professional education many years back, it is
generally accepted that when one consider in its length and its breadth the importance of the
question of education, the broken lives, the defeated hopes, the national failures which result
from the frivolous criteria with which it (education) is treated it is difficult to retrain within one’s
self a savage race. In the condition of modern life the rule is absolute, and the race, which does
not value trained intelligence, is doomed.
Whitehead, as quoted in Oni(2005) goes on add that in spite of all out wealth and our present
position and in spite of what we think we have achieved presently, we should always remember
that nothing is static and that there will always be changes. He continues:
Today we maintain ourselves, tomorrow science will move forward yet one more step and there
will be no appeal from the judgment, which will be pronounced on the uneducated.
The implication of the thesis by Whitehead is clear. The individual or the society must be ready
to prepare for and accommodate changes or else there will be catastrophe. He strongly advocates
continuing education for the prevention of intellectual drop out. One of the hallmarks of the
profession is an intellectual detachment that enables the practitioner to remain objective. The
division of the professional labour makes it difficult for any practitioner to change the
educational requirement.
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Purposes of Professional Continuing Education:
Mayhew & Ford (1974) identify two characteristics of a profession, first to be self – generated as
well as maintaining set of ethics and principles that direct the profession to serve the society and
safeguard the public. Secondly, members of a profession have their ethical code, which enables
them to be bound to the profession. This in essence means that any profession must have
objectives that are acceptable to the society it serves which will invariably makes the profession
to be unique in characters and information.
McGlothins (1964) argues that uniqueness must come through the educational programme in
order to make the service rendered substantive rather than purely formal. He further added that
professional schools must win recognition without which they cannot perform essential services.
According to him without recognition, the lace of a professional school or a university campus is
jeopardized in terms of acceptability by other academic partners.
Hughes (1963) succinctly writes that inside most professions there develop a tacit division of
labour between the more theoretical and more practical. In other words no two professions have
the same set of standards of measuring its field of specialization. This notion gives an unstable
trend, which becomes apparent as requirement for specialization varies.
In every formal and informal organization, desires and aims to be highly professional as it
possibly can, are utmost, as the organization tries to provide what it conceives to be of highest
value to itself, its members and society at large. McGlothin (1964) stressed the view that a
professional school should periodically review its programme and modify them accordingly. In
this context, emphasis is given to adequate improvement of the course contents and set
objectives in order to increase the overall quality of the programme.
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Alan (2005) noted that the location of some professional schools in the universities, bring about
question of relationships. He went further that the University has stakes in such things as
standards of admissions, qualifications of faculty, conferment of degree, curriculum planning,
setting up graduation requirements and sanctification of results.
The above findings tend to be in consonance with the opinion that the universities involved in
these relationships consider the importance and the quality of standard of continuing professional
education and the questions of who would provide it, how should it be provided and how it
should be financed should be adequately sorted out Given the relevant knowledge for the
profession, it seems axiomatic that continuing education is very vital, yet few institutions within
the university structure have been able to institutionalize continuing education in all professional
fields requiring it.
Various reasons have been adduced for continuing professional education. Pellegrino (1974)
noticed that expertise is raised to the status of a profession especially medicine, law, theology or
teaching because of tensions accentuated by the societal needs. Therefore, expert knowledge
must be higher than mere technicism.
Letcht (1970) argues that not enough manpower will be available in the future if the people and
their government try to achieve simultaneously all standards that experts set as desirable and
reasonable in all facets defined as national goals. Harrigton (1976) claimed that acquiring up-todate information in one’s special field has been observed to be inadequate nowadays. Thus, for a
professional, he or she must become acquainted with up to date, cutting edge management skills
and reasonable knowledge of information and communication technology in addition to his or
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her professional knowledge. All these are needed to overcome lack of knowledge about
disciplines related to one’s own.
However, Wengard (1982) expressed a sanguine view that rapid societal change will make the
possession of crisis avoidance and coping skills critical to human existence as well as increasing
interest in self-improvement, inter-personal skills, human resources and development and rapid
occupations.
These statements do not paint rainbows, yet neither do they fill the sky with thunder heads.
Rather the statements project possibilities with partly cloudy future in which the balance of sun
and shade can be significantly influenced by present behaviour. Since societal change will
dramatically alter life styles and patterns of work, the importance of continuing professional
education increases in proportion. No amount of pre-service education can possibly be adequate
preparation for a career span.
Some of the purposes of professional continuing education are as follows:

To promote the personal development of the workers and the acquisition of an
identity for self-realization.

Satisfaction of the necessity of the job market through upgrading and vocational
education.

Growth of the level of cohesion for democratically development in the society and
to increase the cultural and social participation.

Expertise is raised to the status of a profession especially medicine, law, theology
or teaching because of tensions accentuated by the societal needs. Therefore,
expert knowledge must be higher than mere technicism.
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
The need for professional to have adequate and current knowledge in his field so
that he can cope with the demands of his area of specialization.
These and many other reasons have been adduced for professional continuing education.
Factors Motivating Tertiary Institution Workers’ Participation in Professional Continuing
Education
Considering the above, the question now is, why will a tertiary institution worker who has been
trained prior to employment and considered fit for the job will want to engage in professional
continue education? What are the psychological and social reasons for his actions?
Answers to these questions will be found in various theories of motivation explained earlier on.
The ones that will be relevant to this paper will be Maslow’s theory and Murray’s theory of
Motivation.
Motivation is complex to conceptualize, much less to understand and analyze. It is complex
because it is a central part of human nature which has been proverbially described as
unpredictable, unreliable and dynamic. The term has been defined in a number of ways. Without
motivation there will be no purposive organized behaviour by an individual either at work or
elsewhere.
Akinola B., Sarunmi A and Mojoyinola J.K. (2000) see motivation as
“any condition which initiates, guides and maintains response. It is a
function of arousal which may be either appetitive or aversive (food).
Appetitive or arousals are conditions which initiate and maintain
behaviour attempting to avoid unpleasant or negative condition (fear).
Motivation is also a drive reduction and focuses on the consequences of
the action rather than activation of the behavior” (p.54).
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All said and done, all the definitions of motivation above have centered around human
behaviour and achievement of set goals. Motivation is a sort of reinforcement either
internal (intrinsic) or external (extrinsic) on an individual which makes him interested in
the job or an activity (such as professional continuing education) he is engaging in. It is
important to note that professional continuing education is common is such field such as
medicine, law, education, labour studies, architecture, engineering and some other
professions. They actually need to update their knowledge so as to remain relevant in the
ever changing world that is technologically driven.
Motivation to participate in professional continuing education could be internally or externally
generated.
That is, it can be biologically (psychologically) or environmentally (socially)
determined. It could be basic or complex. One motive can reinforce another while at another
time one motive can inhibit or come in conflict with another.
Workers may want to participate in professional continuing education programme because their
continual means of livelihood depend on the acquisition of a particular professional knowledge.
For example, in medicine, medical practitioners continue to participate in professional
continuing education programme. Everybody knows that MBBS or MB Ch.B is the general
practitioners degree needed to practice general medicine. However, most doctors will want to
take a professional degree of MD (Doctor of Medicine) to allow them specialize in one of the
major areas of medicine. Even at that, they still continue to attend short term courses. Medical
professionals undertake professional continuing education programmes that enable them to
become fellows in their area of specializations. Some Universities accept fellowship of these
professional bodies as equivalent of doctorate degrees for the purpose of promotion of such
academic professionals beyond lecturer 1 level. Some of these courses are designed to upgrade
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their knowledge on new findings which might have made nonsense of the former principles or
beliefs which they have hitherto held sacrosanct. As new machines and equipment are designed
and developed, medical practitioners need to keep themselves abreast with the usage and
applications. For example, not all medical doctors can use ultra sound scanning machine. They
need to undergo training before they can read and interpret the picture on the scanner. This type
of education has nothing to do with gender or personality traits of the practitioner. The language
here is survival in the professional market. If you want to survive, you must learn new methods
of doing things.
Apart from the above, workers participate in professional continuing education programme in
order to keep their jobs. This is related to Maslow’s safety and security needs. A company may
make it compulsory of its workers in a particular field to acquire certain special knowledge for
them to keep their jobs. If they fail, new workers who are well versed in the new technology
might be employed to replace them. For example, in most Nigerian Universities, all typists and
secretaries have been given the marching order to upgrade their knowledge with computer
applications and subsequently, their cadres have been changed to data operator cadre to reflect
the new training. This was not required of them some years back when they were employed.
Even new employees must have computer knowledge. Here the motivation is physiological.
Learn to retain your job. Here also, gender dimension or personality traits have nothing to do
with it.
Meanwhile, there are some instances when workers are motivated by colleagues. May be a
colleague who attended a particular professional continuing education programme has been
rewarded with promotion when he comes back. It becomes a motivating factor for other workers
in the same area to wanting to emulate such person. We have seen cases where typists knowing
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fully well that their career in the University system terminates at a level (CONTISS 8) while that
of a secretary who performs similar function terminates at CONTISS 13 will now strive to go for
professional continuing education programme that will quality her to become a secretary.
It is important to note that professional continuing education is common in such field such as
medicine, law, education, labour studies architecture, engineering and some other professions.
They actually need to update their knowledge so as to remain relevant in the ever changing world
that is technologically driven.
Professional sense of belonging may sometimes be the overriding factor. Medical practitioners
may want to belong to West Africa College of Surgeons and so he must engage in professional
continuing education to attain this level. In the same view accountants in public service who
really want to belong to professional circle of accountants must strive to pass the examination of
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) which is a form of professional continuing
education.
From the above, it is certain that workers do not just participate in professional continuing
education programme but are actually motivated either by psychological or social factors.
However, looking at personality traits, the social interaction and gender dimension of workers in
workers participation in professional continue education programmes might be a difficult task.
Workers are generally motivated irrespective of their sex, personality traits or social interaction.
The Role of the University in Professional Continuing Education:
Pellegrimo (1974) asserts that the university has its major intellectual responsibility to its
professional schools as to ensure some degree of competence and sensitivity in language,
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reasoning and judging human arts. These are the good arts of Aulus Gellius, the liberal arts
those that ‘free a man’s mind from the tyranny of other minds. It implies that higher education
trains the professionals who run the company, government and association of offerings. The
individual learning orientation would dictate the method he or she chooses to meet the
requirements set for the profession unless the factors of time, cost and location over-ride such
considerations. Harrington (1979) agrees that much information comes from the university
research operations and campuses turn out many leaders in every discipline. It is imperative that
university should be directly involved in the act.
The desire to bring professional schools closer to the university as well as the decided interest in
interdisciplinary and inter departmental courses, seem designed to bridge the gap between
education in arts and sciences and the professional sciences. There is heavy concentration of
continuing professional education offering in business and management, the health sciences and
engineering knowledge.
Evans (1964) stated that in the hospitals, medical students move from clinic to laboratory
autopsies and then into various basic science laboratories of biological, chemical and
bacteriology.
Such attempts are based on the belief that there should be interdisciplinary
curricula for the medical students not to be obsolete in his knowledge. In fact faculties of law,
engineering and medicine accept the concept of professional education as an all – university
concern.
Conclusion
It is evident from the above consideration that the desire to satisfy either social needs or
psychological needs has always been the motivating factors for workers participation in
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professional continuing education. Either the worker concerned wants to stay on his job in order
to survive or he wants to climb higher to be like some other people he admires. This brings us to
the general belief that man’s actions are egocentric as he does not engage in any action for its
altruistic benefits but must derive something whether satisfaction or material gains. This is
without prejudices to known and celebrated cases of altruism such as the works, life and times of
Mother Theresa of India who lived and died serving people without thinking of any material
gains. Meanwhile, one may be tempted to say that the gain here may be more of spiritual than
material.
No matter how old one is in this world, there would be occasions when one discovers something
new or peculiar. It indicates then that education or experiences have no limit. It is a lifelong
exercise. It also implies that one should not be satisfied with today’s level of achievement but
that one must continue to strive to better one’s achievements through continuous learning and
study.
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