Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training

This is a self-archived version of an original article. This version may differ from the original in pagination and typographic details. Author(s): Title: Year: Version: Copyright: Rights: Rights url: Please cite the original version: CC BY-NC 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training © The authors, 2019 Published version Salmi, Elisa; Vehkakoski, Tanja; Aunola, Kaisa; Määttä, Sami; Kairaluoma, Leila; Pirttimaa, Raija Salmi, E., Vehkakoski, T., Aunola, K., Määttä, S., Kairaluoma, L., & Pirttimaa, R. (2019). Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training. Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 9(2), 112-131. https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.1992112 2019 Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 2019 NJVET, Vol. 9, No. 2, 112–131 Peer-reviewed article doi: 10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.1992112 Hosted by Linköping University Electronic Press © The authors Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training Elisa Salmi*, Tanja Vehkakoski*, Kaisa Aunola*, Sami Määttä*, Leila Kairaluoma** & Raija Pirttimaa* *University of Jyväskylä, Finland, **University of Oulu, Finland ([email protected]) Abstract The aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the reasons for low or high academic motivation among practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training. The research data consisted of semi-structured interviews with 14 Finnish students, which were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The analysis identified six motivational sources. Two of these sources – Responsible agency and Completing out of necessity – were related to engagement in studying, whereas two other sources – Exhaustion from learning challenges and Tight-roping between competing responsibilities – were related to disengagement from studying. Emotional drive and Social orientation were ambivalent motivation sources, partly pushing towards engagement as well as to disengagement, depending on the circumstances. Overall, the complicated reasons for low or high motivation were found to be heterogeneous and, consequently, the ways to support students may also vary. Keywords: dropping out, qualitative content analysis, motivational sources, practical nursing student, vocational education and training Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out 113 Introduction Adolescents’ learning motivation has been shown to decline throughout one’s school career (Gnambs & Hanfstingl, 2016; Otis, Grouzet & Pelletier, 2005), especially when they move to secondary school (Peetsma & Van der Veen, 2015). Lack of motivation leads many students to drop out of school (Caprara, Fida, Vecchione, Del Bove, Vecchio, Barbaranelli & Bandura, 2008; Fortin, Marcotte, Potvin, Royer & Joly, 2006; Utvær, 2013). Dropping out of education is, in turn, a risk factor for many social difficulties, such as living in low socioeconomic status (Nurmi, 2012) and having fewer employment opportunities (Litalien, Guay & Morin, 2015). The dropout percentage of education is particularly alarming in vocational education and training (VET) (Bulger, McGeown & St Clair-Thompson, 2016; Utvær, 2013). In 2015, the percentage of youth in OECD countries who were not employed or participating in education was on average 14.5%, and in Finland it was 14.3% (OECD, 2015). There are various potential reasons for dropout. Intrapersonal reasons include factors such as learning difficulties (Hakkarainen, Holopainen & Savolainen, 2013), the use of weak learning strategies (Montague, 2007), or lack of interest in the future profession (Van Bragt, Bakx, Teune, Bergen & Croon, 2011). Moreover, interpersonal reasons, which are particularly crucial in dropout, include factors such as lack of friendship networks (Hakimzadeh, Besharat, Khaleghinezhad & Jahromi, 2016; Juvonen, Espinoza & Knifsend, 2012) and parental support (Hodkinson & Bloomer, 2001; Leino, 2015) as well as the lack of support (Niittylahti, Annala & Mäkinen, 2019) they receive at school, teachers’ contradictory expectations (Learned, 2016), and difficulties in teacher–student relationships in the classroom (Nurmi, 2012; Wubbels, Brekelmans, den Brok & Tartwijik, 2006). All these factors may contribute to a student’s motivation risk of school dropout. Because many factors and experiences of the students contribute to dropping out over a long period (Lee & Burkam, 2003), it is hard to demonstrate a connection between any single factor and students’ definitive decision to leave school. There are some studies related to dropping out from VET which are focused on engagement in studies (e.g., Nielsen, 2016; Niittylahti et al., 2019), reasons for interrupting the vocational education (Beilmann & Espenberg, 2016) or VET students’ decision-making processes in relation to dropping out (Wahlgren, Aarkrog, Mariager-Anderson, Gottlieb & Larsen, 2018). However, there is a lack of qualitative studies on the different motivational sources behind low motivation that represent students’ different ways of describing their commitment to their studies and factors decreasing or strengthening their motivation. In the present study, we focus on the motivational sources of Finnish practical nursing students at risk of dropping out of school during the first and second year of their studies in VET. The research question is the following: What kinds of motivational Elisa Salmi, Tanja Vehkakoski, Kaisa Aunola, Sami Määttä, Leila Kairaluoma & Raija Pirttimaa 114 sources do practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from their studies show? Motivation and school engagement The role of motivation in school success and failures has been widely investigated. While motivation refers to goals, values and beliefs in a certain area, engagement refers to behavioural displays of effort, time, and persistence in attaining desired outcomes (Guthrie, Wigfield & You, 2012). Motivation is a facilitator of engagement, which in turn facilitates achievement (Klauda & Guthrie, 2015). In addition to slow progress of learning, poor motivation or amotivation – which means not being motivated in one’s studies – have also been shown to increase the risk of dropout (Legault, Green-Demers & Pelletier, 2006; Otis et al., 2005; Scheel, Madabhushi & Backhaus, 2009). According to Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory (SDT; 2000), individuals’ three basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness and competence play a key role in their motivation (Utvær, 2014). Autonomy refers to students’ belief that they can influence their studies; relatedness refers to the feeling that one is important to key social partners (Fuller & Macfayden, 2012); and competence refers to the satisfaction felt in being able to accomplish one’s duties successfully (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Smit, de Brabander & Martens, 2014). Using this framework, one reason for low academic motivation can be a deficiency in the satisfaction of these three psychological needs (Gnambs & Hanfstingl, 2016; Utvær, 2014). The central concepts in SDT in a school context are autonomous and controlled motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Autonomous motivation can be intrinsic, that is, the desired action is interesting or valuable in itself, or partly extrinsic (i.e., the action has instrumental value), such as when the student has internalised the values of school or society. Controlled motivation then refers to other types of extrinsic motivation. These refer to actions the student feels compelled to perform, for internal (self-esteem, shame) or external (rewards, punishments) reasons. It has been shown that students who experience a greater sense of autonomy exhibit more positive perceptions of self-determination and competence (Smit et al., 2014). According to Hardre and Reeve (2003), the more teachers support students’ autonomy, the more positive students’ perceptions of autonomy and competence become, which in turn predicts their intentions to continue their studies. In addition, support for the need of relatedness and competence has also been shown to predict motivational outcomes (Lazarides, Rohowski, Ohlemann & Ittel, 2015), in a study by King (2015) peer rejection was related to disengagement from school and lower levels of achievement (see also Scheel et al., 2009). Another reason for low motivation is conflict between motivations (Grund, Brassler & Fries, 2014). It means that two or more action tendencies of similar Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out 115 motivational strength compete for limited resources, such as time or effort. In their study of university students, Grund and Fries (2012) observed that the more students valued effort and success, the more they experienced internal conflict between leisure time and learning. Furthermore, academic emotions may play a role in low motivation and affect the performance of the students (Oriol, Amutio, Mendoza, Da Costa & Miranda, 2016). For example, when academic activities generate satisfaction, happiness or hope, students feel more motivated before a task (Gnambs & Hanfstingl, 2016) as well as more engaged and tend to expend more academic effort. On the contrary, experiencing negative emotions may cause poor academic adaptation and students may feel bored or frustrated, which can lead to school failure (Oriol et al., 2016). Different actors, such as teachers, peers and parents, have also been shown to play a role in the formation of academic emotions (Fortin et al., 2006; Niittylahti et al., 2019). For example, when students perceive their teacher to be strict and admonishing, there is a decrease in student wellbeing (Wubbels et al., 2006). Finally, learning difficulties and lack of educational support might be factors related to motivational problems. For example, Fortin et al. (2006) found that onethird of students at-risk of dropping out of school showed learning difficulties in math and languages; and two-thirds of them showed low motivation as a greater risk factor than poor academic performance. Hakkarainen, Holopainen and Savolainen (2016) found that those students who had learning difficulties in comprehensive school were more likely to choose a vocational track than an academic one in the transition to upper secondary school. In addition, school personnel seem to have a more positive perception of guidance than the pupils themselves do. Ahola and Kivelä (2007) observed that young people valued the practical support when facing difficulties, while school personnel tend to emphasise the formal principles of guidance, such as multivocational support and guidance. Present study Overall, lack of motivation has been shown to be a serious risk factor for school dropout (Scheel et al., 2009). The reasons behind lack of motivation, however, can be complex and diverse. The aim of the present study is to identify sources of motivation among VET students by listening to the students themselves about their opinions on why they are committed or uncommitted to their studies. The study was carried out in Finland among practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from VET. The Finnish educational system consists of 10 years’ compulsory education. After the conclusion of compulsory basic education at age 16, students choose their further education. About 95% proceed to upper secondary education, of which nearly half enter VET. During the time this study was conducted, about 64% of these students completed their education within the standard period of Elisa Salmi, Tanja Vehkakoski, Kaisa Aunola, Sami Määttä, Leila Kairaluoma & Raija Pirttimaa 116 three and a half years, while 75% finished within five-and-a-half years (Official Statistics of Finland [OSF], 2012a). Of those students who started studying for social and health care qualifications in Finland in 2009, 68% qualified in threeand-a-half years (men, 58%, women, 69%; Koramo & Vehviläinen, 2015). The overall dropout rate (completely discontinued education) was 7.8% (men, 7.7% and women, 8.0%; OSF, 2012b). Practical nursing studies last three years. The first year is mostly theory based, consisting of some learning by doing and one period of about five weeks of on-the-job training, whereas the second and third years consist of longer periods of on-the-job learning in addition to theoretical studies. In addition, Finland’s vocational institutions offer individualised guidance counselling, remedial teaching, and extended on-the-job learning if needed. Research methods Participants and data In this study, 14 Finnish firstand second-year practical nursing students in health care and social services were interviewed about their study and life situations. The students were between 16 and 20 years old (M = 17.3). One student was male while the others were female. The participants participated in the intervention part of the Motivoimaa project. The project was conducted by the Niilo Mäki Institute and funded by the European Social Fund. The project was carried out in a medium-sized city in Central Finland and it aimed, on the one hand, at identifying factors that make the students’ studying difficult and, on the other, to encourage students to engage with their studies (Määttä, Kairaluoma & Kiiveri, 2011). In the present study, the sample consisted of those students from the Motivoimaa project who studied in the same social and health care college and who were selected for the project’s intervention by a student multidisciplinary team on the basis of the following criteria: 1) students had troubles completing their studies, 2) students mainly used passive and task-avoidant learning strategies (as assessed by teachers), and 3) students did not have psychological symptoms that would have prevented their inclusion in group-based activities. Two intervention groups, each consisting of 10 students, met twice a week, 14 times in total, during one semester. Altogether, 17 of those students completed the course and 14 authorised the use of their interview answers in the study. The intervention consisted of different life mastery and studying skills exercises and students received course credit for the completed intervention course. Those 14 students who wanted to voluntarily participate in the study were individually interviewed at the end of it by project researchers. The participants were informed of the purpose and process of the study before they gave their informed Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out 117 consent. In addition, it was promised that the responses would be handled confidentially so that the privacy of interviewees would be protected (Patton, 2015). The interviews were carried out in a semi-structured format. This format is generally used when the aim is to provide knowledge and deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The interviews lasted approximately 25 to 50 minutes, were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The interview questions focused on participants’ opinions about their study and life situations, motivation to study, strengths and weaknesses in studying, learning environment, and plans for their future. Although the questions were based on the same framework, the interviewers could adapt the questions in relation to the answers of the students. The interviews were conducted at school in an adjacent classroom during the intervention lessons. Analysis In this study, the phenomena under study were the reasons for low or high academic motivation among practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training. Based on the reasons narrated by the students, various motivation sources were identified. We understood the motivation sources largely as all factors which students indicated as pushing them towards a goal of completing or disengaging from their studies. The unit of analysis was one meaning unit, that is, a clause, a sentence, or a whole turn which created a clearly distinguishable image of one’s motivation. After the first author had familiarised herself with the data by reading each interview transcript and organising the data thematically (e.g., discussion of learning difficulties, significance of social relationships), we utilised researcher triangulation and identified similarities and differences between those thematic categories regarding how committed students narrated themselves as being committed to their studies, how permanent or changeable the commitment was said to be and what reasons students gave for their commitment or failure to commit. On the basis of these comparisons, we decided to create six ideal types (see Patton, 2015, p. 548) of the ways in which students talked about the factors which pushed them towards completing their studies or disengaging from them. The identification of these types did not mean classifying the students themselves into different types, but the typology was based on all the meanings students produced regarding committing to or disengaging from their studies. Thus, none of the participants represented only one motivation source, but the motivation sources represent the main meanings found across the interviews. This kind of overlap is typical in typologies which ‘are built on ideal types or illustrative end points rather than a complete and discrete set of categories’ (Patton, 2015, p. 546). Nearly every student mentioned more than one reason for having an influence Elisa Salmi, Tanja Vehkakoski, Kaisa Aunola, Sami Määttä, Leila Kairaluoma & Raija Pirttimaa 118 on their motivation to the studies, although all six motivation sources were not present in each participant’s interviews. After identifying the ideal types of various motivation sources, we conceptualised the findings according to how students committed themselves to their studies (e.g., engagement and disengagement) and how they explained their reasons for these commitments. The latter were organised in terms of internal and external reasons. We thus combined both the inductive and quasi-deductive approach during the analysis (see Patton, 2015, pp. 542–543): the six motivation sources were identified and created from the interview data inductively to find students’ unique perspectives without imposing preconceived categories or theoretical perspectives, whereas a final understanding about the relation of these sources to the students’ engagement (King, 2015; Studsrød & Bru, 2011) and locus of control (Zimmerman, 2000) were achieved through theory-driven thinking and utilising previous literature. The most illustrative data extracts were selected for the Findings section and they were translated into English with the assistance of a language consultant with an emphasis on idiomatic translation. All names used in the article are pseudonyms. Findings The findings are presented through six different motivational sources representing students’ different ways of describing their commitment to their studies and factors decreasing or strengthening this commitment. Figure 1 presents the motivational sources the students generated in relation to their school engagement and locus of control. Figure 1. A typology of students’ motivation sources. Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out 119 When expressing strong school engagement, the students describe two motivation sources with different locus of control: responsible agency and completing out of necessity. Conversely, when manifesting disengagement from the studies, the students narrate such motivation sources as exhaustion from learning challenges or tight roping between competing responsibilities. Studying with an ambivalent attitude is described by individual emotional drive or social orientation. Engagement in studies Responsible agency describes the engagement which is preceded by students’ own choice of the particular field of VET and a strong aim to graduate for its own sake. The studying is considered intrinsically valuable, which creates a strong motivation for completing the studies. In addition, the sense of agency is reinforced by experiencing oneself as being the cause of an action and having the primary responsibility for his or her studies. Extract 1: …this is like an optional school, or that no one must be here if they don’t want to. It depends on your own choice and you must take more responsibility for yourself. […] at times it feels hard, but you get used to it. On the other hand, quite nice. (Katrin) Extract 2: When you go to the vocational school you go there to study for yourself, like really. So that junior high school [ages 13–15] might have partly been a place where one still grows and so on. And that it’s, like, sort of, everyone’s duty to go through it. But when you go to vocational school then you should understand that it has been about your own choices. So, if you can’t manage to be there, or you’re not interested, then why do you have to blabber on during class and disturb others. (Emily) In Extracts 1–2, studying for oneself is strongly emphasised. Studying is said to be voluntary and to depend mainly on students’ own choices: they are the ones who must take the responsibility for their duties, complete the tasks on time, and make their own contribution to learning outcomes and graduation. It is characteristic of responsible agency, however, that students in this group are not bothered by this, but like self-direction and the sense of responsibility, even though it ‘at times feels hard’ (Extract 1). Studying in VET is also compared with learning in compulsory comprehensive school, where learning is described as being more controlled. Compared to this, studying in VET is voluntary, and therefore ‘no one must be here’ (Extract 1). In Extract 2, Emily also distances herself from her classmates who do not have the same kind of responsible attitude to studying and who ‘blabber on during class and disturb others.’ Thus, internalising the importance of the studies for oneself and having a general sense of control over one’s life is an inherent part of responsible agency. Completing out of necessity refers to completing studies as a necessity of life or even as a necessary evil in Western societies. Although studying arouses various Elisa Salmi, Tanja Vehkakoski, Kaisa Aunola, Sami Määttä, Leila Kairaluoma & Raija Pirttimaa 126 on vocational education, learning motivation, learning difficulties and special education. Tanja Vehkakoski is a senior lecturer (title of docent) at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research interests are focused on disability studies, classroom interaction and documentation in education. She is specialised in qualitative research methods, especially discourse analysis and conversation analysis. Kaisa Aunola is a professor of psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research interests include learning, motivation, and family environment. Sami Määttä is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His main research interests are adolescence, motivation and marginalisation. Leila Kairaluoma is university lecturer (PhD) in Special Education at University of Oulu. Her research interests are learning difficulties, dyslexia, the school motivation and pedagogical interventions. Raija A. Pirttimaa, (Ph.D.), is a senior lecturer of special education at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and an adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki. Her focus is education of students with disabilities. Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out 127 References Ahola, S., & Kivelä, S. (2007). ‘Education is important, but…’ Young people outside of schooling and the Finnish policy of education guarantee. Educational Research, 49, 243–258. Bacca, J., Baldiris, S., Fabfegat, R., & Kinshuk. (2018). Insights into the factors influencing student motivation in augmented reality learning experiences in vocational education and training. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1486. 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