Work Commitment, Intrinsic Motivation, and Academic Achievement in Online Adult Learners

Over the past 2 decades, the number of adult learners seeking an online education has dramatically increased, but student retention and degree completion rates for adult students are lower than those of other student populations. Research has shown that adult learners working full time achieve at higher levels than adult learners who are not working full time and that intrinsic motivation is positively correlated with academic achievement. However, whether the relationship between intrinsic motivation and academic achievement is moderated by level of work commitment has not been previously investigated. For this study, in which the composite persistence model served as the foundation, 137 online adult learners were recruited. A sequential multiple regression was used to investigate whether the relationship between intrinsic motivation, as measured by the Motivation Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and academic achievement, as measured by self-reported grade point average, was moderated by level of work commitment, as measured by self-reported hours of work per week, while statistically controlling for academic competencies, as measured by 4 subscales of the MSLQ. Intrinsic motivation and level of work commitment did not display a statistically significant correlation with academic achievement, and results showed that level of work commitment did not moderate the relationship between intrinsic motivation and academic achievement. The findings indicated the possibility that education is synergistically related to work commitment. Online programs may use the findings from the study to better support online adult learners and create positive social change by offering internships and mentorships locally that help to connect education to work commitment