EMPOWERING DEVELOPMENT
CONFERENCE – 17 JULY 2015
ELABORATION AND EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF THE DE GOEDE
LEARNING POTENTIAL STRUCTURAL MODEL
Presenter:
Sunelle van Heerden
HR Manager
Table Bay Rapid Transit – Vehicle Operator for MyCiti Bus Services
Elaboration and Empirical Evaluation of the De Goede
Learning Potential Structural Model
• De Goede (2007) conducted research based on the work of Taylor (1989,
1992, 1994, 1997) on the concept of learning potential
• De Goede built a model of learning potential according to the factors
underlying the APIL-B test battery
• Based upon Taylor’s definition of learning potential, the study conducted by
De Goede (2007) included only cognitive ability variables
• As it seems highly unlikely that cognitive ability would be the only attribute
that influences success at a learning task, the objectives of my study was to
build on the work done by De Goede by:
• identifying additional variables, over and above cognitive ability variables
• building a model that explicates the relationships between the variables and
• empirically testing the model
The Study - Simplified
A (very) simplified model of my study:
1. A learner with the following characteristics:
• Academic self-efficacy,
• Conscientiousness
• Motivation to learn
• Learning goal-orientation,
• Internal locus of control,
• Meta-cognitive knowledge,
2. Will be more likely to engage in the following behaviours:
• Time spent cognitively engaged in learning
• Using meta-cognitive regulation
3. Ultimately by engaging in these behaviours, the Learner is more likely to be:
• Successful at learning
Reduced van Heerden-De Goede learning potential
structural model
Sampling and Data Collection
• Sample of Grade 12 Learners from 3 high schools in Western Cape was used
• Sample size = 320
• Non-probability sampling
• Paper-and-pencil format questionnaire
• Completed during school hour in Life Orientation Class
Measuring Instruments
• Locus of Control
• Internality, Powerful others, and Chance Scales developed by Levenson and Miller (1976)
• Goal-Orientation
• A measure developed by Button et al. (1996) was used to operationalise goal-orientation
• Academic Self-Efficacy
• Sub-section of Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)
• Meta-cognition
• Meta-cognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) as developed by Schraw and Dennison (1994)
• Learning Motivation
• Motivation to learn questionnaire (MLQ) Nunes (2003)
• Conscientiousness
• Alphabetical Index of 204 Labels for 269 International Personality Item Pool IPIP Scales
• Based on NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) Costa and McCrae (1992)
• Time cognitively engaged
• Sub-section of Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)
• Learning Performance
• First semester Grade 12 academic results for English 1st language and Afrikaans 2nd language
Results
• Support was found for all the hypotheses, except for:
1.
2.
3.
Time cognitively engaged affects learning performance
Conscientiousness affects learning performance
Feedback loop that learning performance affects learning motivation
• All three paths make logical sense and is supported in literature. Suspect the
lack of support is not due to lack of relationship, but rather due to problematic
operationalisation of time cognitively engaged and learning performance
Importance of this field of research
This subject is not just academic exercise - it has very important real-world
implications.
• Economic Importance
• Economic growth is the major driver to alleviate social problems such as poverty,
unemployment, crime, inequality
• Real and sustainable economic growth only possible through skills development
• Business Importance
• B-BBEE codes – Skills Development is priority element and Learnership/
Apprenticeships/ Internships is major contributor. Businesses must offer these but it
is very daunting
• Skills shortages
• Social Importance
• Right thing to do, righting the wrongs of the past
• Reconciliation by removing glaring disparities?
Practical Implications
• Recruiting candidates for Learnership, Apprenticeships, Internships:
• Likely not possible to use psychometric assessments to assess each of the
variables/characteristics, but in-depth interviews can give good indication
• Look for these characteristics
• I know I can do it (academic self-efficacy)
• I want to learn (learning motivation)
• My goal is to learn (learning goal-orientation)
• I am responsible, diligent, hardworking (conscientiousness)
• Learning is dependent on my own efforts, no one else can do this for me (Locus
of control)
• I know how to learn (meta-cognition)
• I will spend a lot of time on productive learning (time cognitively engaged)
Practical Implications (cont.)
• Learner/ employee continuous development:
• Personal Development Plan (PDP) for each learner and monitor progress –
developing learning goal-orientation
• Explicitly communicating the fact that appointment, promotion and advancement in
the organisation is conditional on performance during training programme–
developing learning motivation
• Words of encouragement – developing self efficacy through social persuasion
• Design of training facilitation
• Including demonstrations, group work, asking volunteers to demonstrate new work
to class etc in training programme – increase self-efficacy through vicarious
experience
• Design training material to start with easy work thereby allowing early success
before moving to more difficult work - increase self-efficacy through personal
experience
• Instructors to not just teach the actual material, must also teach Learners best way
in which to learn the material – increase meta-cognition
Challenges and the way forward
• Continued research
• Many factors that affect learning potential – currently only touching the surface
• Other characteristics eg locus of control, interests, integrity, emotional intelligence.
• Factors relating to training facilitation eg characteristics of Instructor, design of
training material, methods of facilitation
• Factors relating to the organisation eg probability of appointment/promotion after
completion of learning programme, diversity management, supervisory support,
peers support, performance management system
• Factors relating to environment eg support at home, level of parent education,
presence of positive role-model,
• Disconnect between businesses and academia
• Businesses have challenges. Academia is doing research trying to find solutions to
those same problems. Yet there is disconnect and little collaboration. Academia and
businesses must work together and share resources in research
• Usability of current research
• Research results must be made available and practical. HR Managers not
necessarily Industrial Psychologists so do not know where to find the research. But
then also not what to do with it!
Thank you