Learning Motivation and Performance
Learning motivation is the driving influence from both intrinsic and extrinsic forces that foster effective and efficient learning process in a learner. It gives rise to energy and direction during the learning process.
As an employee, learning can become a daunting task given the workload at your workplace and other errands to attend to. Even though most companies make it mandatory for employees to undertake training, others leave it for them to decide.
Both parties require a learning motivation to take and complete training. The motivation can come from different sources such as:
Factors affecting learning motivation
Work culture
Learning motivation can be enhanced by surrounding yourself with other motivated persons. They challenge you to better yourself by improving your skillsets. A company that does not encourage employees to improve their skills, has employees with low learning motivation leading to poor performance. Whereas, companies that encourage skillset improvement to instill morale and motivation in the learning process.
Inclusion of incentives
Being rewarded for learning improves learning motivation in learners. Incentives for learning can come in different forms. For example, an employer can reward you with certification or promote an employee to a higher level. Search incentives drive employees to learn which improves their performance.
Daily workload
Learning motivation can dwindle if the workload at hand is overwhelming. Many responsibilities hamper the need to improve on your skillset since free time is at the lower end. Having less workload and more free time can enhance the desire to up your skills and up your learning motivation.
Mentors
Having mentors that need you to succeed, can enhance your desire to learn. A management that guides the employees on the ropes to avoid, sees the employee have a high desire to accumulate a lot of knowledge.
How to improve learning motivation in employees
Incorporate games
Gamification can improve learning motivation since games enhance learner engagement and participation. They increase learner’s desire to learn through repeatedly acquiring knowledge through continuously playing of the game.
Increase learner satisfaction through reward
The inclusion of prizes or stars improves learning motivation and performance. This is because it increases the desire to complete levels hence winning a prize or acquiring more stars. Through winning prizes and stars, an employee acquires knowledge that is related to the job description.
Encourage self-direction
Training that encourages employees to learn at their own pace and at their desired time builds on learning motivation. How is this possible? It is because an employee is not bombarded with huge chunks of information in one sitting.
Provide short succinct content
Provide training material that is short, easy to digest and relevant to the learning objective of the training. Provision of information in small chunks is not only a key preference by a trainee but also enhances knowledge acquisition and retention.
Verdict
Learning motivation can be enhanced in various methods such as the inclusion of games and reward. It contributes to the overall acquisition and retention of knowledge.
