Motivated and Self-Regulated Learning of Adult Learners in a Collective Online Environment

The main goal of this research was to further understanding of the motivational and learning strategies of adult learners. This was studied in particular in an online environment of group settings in which the learners were engaged in shared learning activities and goals. Earlier research in the area has used quantitative methodology and focussed on individual learners, whereas the present research used qualitative methods to build a new, more extensive model of learning in online environments that includes the collective point of view. In addition to this main goal, the study also explored the qualitative variation of motivation and learning strategies, and the factors that best differentiate high and low achievers, and described qualitatively the cooperative performances of the five learner groups that participated in the study. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The data included study journals, written by 25 adult learners during their one-year-long studies and totalling over 300 pages of their own notes and descriptions, and responses to the Abilities for Professional Learning Questionnaire. The study journals were analysed and categorised phenomenographically, whereas the APL questionnaire was analysed with Bayesian methods. The results were used to explore the qualitative variation of motivational and strategic capabilities and to construct a model of collective online learning. The model of collective online learning comprises four levels of factors that affect learning achievement: individual motivation, individual learning strategies, collective motivation, and collective learning strategies. These findings greatly enhance the understanding of how learner groups work and what kinds of internal forces affect them over the course of their studies and group development. These findings will also form a fruitful basis for the further development of online learning and its support structures, especially in the case of