Motivation and Aspirations for Professional Learners Essay Example

they are safe and secure, when they have knowledge level suitable for a vast social platform, and when they have all the basic needs (Maslow 1987, p. 3). Therefore, internal personal motivation to achieve all the above needs may force a learner to proceed to the next level of their studies. In Maslow’s self-actualization need, the desire within individuals to achieve something and explore the furthest they can go may also increase the motivation for one to seek intensive professional learning.

Secondly, the desire to achieve career progression may lead an individual towards pursuing further studies. According to the Expectancy Theory, individuals choose their way to behave based on what they expect to come out of their behavior (Wigfield and Eccles 2000, p. 69). Therefore, anticipation for a good result may force an individual to change their behavior and potentially explore things which are at a greater height. In this light, individuals desire to seek career progression may force them to pursue further studies as one of the most sure way to improve their capacity and expand their competence, skills, training, and expertise in their careers (Wigfield and Eccles 2000, p. 72).

Lastly, intensive professional learning may be as a result of necessity resulted by either expectation or pressure by the employer. Mostly, promotion comes at workplaces comes at the expense of an increment in the level of knowledge or training through education. At times, individuals may be expected by the society or their families to advance in life. Therefore, they decide to meet the expectations through pursuing further studies which enhance them to fit in better positions in the society (Greene 2006, p. 38). At the

same time, pursuing further studies enhances a person to meet the training and knowledge demands instilled by an employer. Through professional learning, individuals can attain the knowledge to perform more complex and extra tasks in their workplaces.

Bridging the Gap between Academic and Professional Practice Placements

Bridging the gap between the academic and the professional practice placement can only be made possible through establishing a relationship between the academic institutions such as colleges and universities with the host organisations associated with professional practice placement (Ali and Panther 2008, p. 37). This may be done through setting up strategies such as partnership relations, supervision and mentorship programmes, sending individual staff members to the host organisations to view the performance of the learners, and by establishing means of frequent communication between the learners and the educators while at the host organisations (Ali and Panther 2008, p. 37). According to a research by Jacobi (1991), many academic institutions focus more on instilling the knowledge in the professional learners for maximum professional development and for professional socialization prior to the employment of learners (Ali and Panther 2008, p. 37).

However, these institutions forget that professional practice placement is essential in determining the capacity of a learner and in exposing a learner to platforms with professional practice experience and wider learning (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). In this light, therefore, academic institutions usually have no any connections with the host organisation where the students are learning their professional practice at (Ali and Panther 2008, p. 37). Royal College of Physicians outlines relationship between the host organisation and the academic institutions where students are learning from is an essential part of professionalism development (Royal

College of Physicians, 2005).

Also, Sweitzer showcased the relationship between the between academic institutions and host organisation as a successful strategy to ensure that leaners acquire maximum competencies, knowledge, and skills available in the organisations (Sweitzer 2009, p. 12). Barr (2002) also proved that proper relationship between the academic institutions and the organisations hosting learners is an effective strategy in enhancing interpersonal education (Barr 2002, p. 2). Leaners view what other workers or professions are working or performing their roles (Barr 2002, p. 2). As a result, learners are equipped with ability, skills, knowledge, and expertise on how to handle matters at hand. They gain experience through practically getting involved in performing different roles together with the host organisation workers.

Therefore, support strategies focusing on strengthening the relationship between the institutional parties involved parties in helping the professional learners should be implemented and heavily emphasized (Barr 2002, p. 2). This will translated in to maximum professional benefits for the learners. According to Van Maanen (1978), colleges with a high relationship with the professional socialisation organisations are usually associated with better and skillful learners (Van Maanen 1978, p. 23). Such colleges have strategies such as follow-ups, frequent visits, combined mentorship with the host organisations, and closer supervision of their learners.

As a result, learners are able to fully adhere to the regulations in the host organisations such as completion of all the assigned tasks and proper recording of the skills which have been learnt (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). At the same time, the relationship between academic and professional placement enhances the host organisations to have a closer relationship with the students. Normally, education institutions engaged with workplace learning

programmes for certain specific institutions work as partners (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). Therefore, students in these organisations are treated as partners. They are allowed to handle different roles and tasks just as the normal employees.

Challenges Identified Amongst Professional Learners

Although professional learners enter their institutions of learning with high expectations of achievement, at times, the reality is usually contrary to what they expected (Rhodes and Shiel 2007, p. 182). First, national recruitment, especially for the professional medical learners may be a challenge since they may not be informed on when the lots are open for new entries (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). This is also linked with wrong timing of the career. Secondly, financial issues may disrupt the smooth proceeding of activities. This causes cases of desperation and even underperformance among the learners. Mostly, professional learning is associated with scholarship programmes. Thus, many students are financed by individuals, firms, nonprofit organisations, or by the government. Others are funded by the employer organisations which usually pressure them to increase their capacity in order to perform different or extra roles (Rhodes and Shiel 2007, p. 190).

However, even with the scholarship programmes, learners are challenged by shortage in the upkeep funds needed for food, clothes, accommodation, and other requirements. Thirdly, the training offered by academic and host institution for professional development and identity formation may not be at the par with a learner’s expectations (Cawyer et al 2002, p. 236). According to Cook el al., challenges such as short deadlines, far distances, and difficulties in establishing relationships among others may adversely affect a professional learner (Hall 2005, p. 195). Professional learners may be unable to establish meaningful and

significant relationships among them and the educators (Hall 2005, p. 192).

Lastly, learners may find it hard to relate with the individuals who are in charge of them during their professional identity formation (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). According to Hoskin and Anderson the context of learning in a professional work environment may pose a challenge to a professional learner in attaining all the skills, knowledge, and training required (Hoskin and Anderson 2004, p. 76). Normally, students find it hard to cope with the demands within the professional training environments especially in medical training. Aneshensel et al., deemed medical training among other professional learning training fields as unexpected care which students may not be able to suit their demands (Aneshensel et al 2002, p. 232).

Therefore, students may find to balance the pressure associated with professional learning. They may eventually find out that the skills the career they always worked hard to strengthen is difficult and more demanding than their initial expectations and plans (Royal College of Physicians, 2005). According to Hall (2005), the demands of the workplace in the performance of different tasks may challenge the learners who are in a learning programme (Hall 2005, p. 192). Students may be overloaded with duties and tasks at the workplaces. Fowel and Levy also found that although professional learners may be motivated to work within organisations instilling them with professional practice, they may, however, be challenged by the management of the host organisations (Fowell and Levy 1995, p. 276). Some organisations which host the students who are in a learning programme usually link them with subordinate tasks which are not in line with their studies (Royal College of

Physicians, 2005). In this light, therefore, students may be exposed to tasks which are short of the experiences and training that they require in order to develop the skills and competence in their fields.

References

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