Higher education and adult motivation towards lifelong learning : an empirical analysis of university post-graduates perspectives

Abstract

"The increasing role of higher education (HE) in lifelong learning processes seems to be a trend in the global context of the knowledge society. As in many other European countries, the rapid expansion of HE in Portugal in the last decades has resulted from democratisation of access and increase of participation at the tertiary level of education. The Portuguese post-graduate offer at universities has also increased and diversified in recent years, proving that there is a need for post-initial education across the lifespan of individuals. In this article, we intend to discuss some of the results obtained through a survey centred on the educational and professional trajectories of post-graduates from a group of Portuguese universities. We try to understand adult perspectives about learning and discuss the adult motivational dynamics towards their future learning." (Autorenreferat, BIBB-Doku)