[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-202587-105":3,"doc-detail-202587-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":98},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","adult-learner-motivation-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-research-on-motivational-factors-and-learning-adaptation","Adult Learner Motivation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Research on Motivational Factors and Learning Adaptation","","COVID-19 intensified workforce instability and triggered large-scale employee exits across US industries, commonly framed as “The Great Resignation.” Against this backdrop, adult learners face pressure to reassess career alignment and pursue upskilling and education for personal growth and advancement. The paper examines how pandemic-driven shifts in career outlook and employment conditions reshape learners’ motivations and advancement needs. It also highlights the growing role of online and blended learning and digital credentialing as a strategy for adult career progression in 2022 and beyond.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/adult-learner-motivation-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-research-on-motivational-factors-and-learning-adaptation/202587/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/adult-learner-motivation-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-research-on-motivational-factors-and-learning-adaptation/202587.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Cart","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-04",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"How did COVID-19 affect adult learners’ motivations to return to education?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The pandemic disrupted employment and forced many adults to reconsider career goals, making education a practical outlet for growth and advancement.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What workforce changes are linked to “The Great Resignation”?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Mandated closures and remote work reshaped perceptions of work, while large numbers of employees quit in 2021, reflecting shifts toward family and health priorities.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why is higher education described as significantly challenged during COVID-19?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Many colleges canceled in-person classes, enrollment declined, and institutions faced quality and delivery challenges in online education.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},202587,1788548461,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":86,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":87,"file_id":88,"file_url":89,"file_type":90,"file_size":91,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":92,"language":93,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":94,"faqs":95,"seo_title":96,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":97,"preview_page_count":4},18829141979164,"https://eur-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8",8,"Adult Learner Motivation During the COVID-19 Pandemic  \nSindy Acosta, Kaylee Bloom, Barry Boyer, Raymond Francis, LaDelta Williams  \nCentral Michigan University  \nUSA  \nAbstract  \nImpacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused immense challenges for staffing at companies and organizations across the United States. Coined “The Great Resignation,” the mass exit of employees across many major industries has surmounted to 4.3 million people leaving their jobs in August 2021 alone (U.S. Department of Labor). Employees must determine if their pre-pandemic career still aligns with their goals and personal needs as we enter 2022. This paper will discuss the motivational factors and theories for adult learners returning to education asan outlet for personal growth and career advancement. As online and blended learning programs increase, digital credentialing platforms are presented as a strategy for adult learners to embrace as part of their career advancement goals.  \n1. Introduction  \nWithin the last two decades, the value of higher education has become inevitable for job seekers as they persist in the workforce. Since the beginning of the global pandemic, many have also lost their jobs or have decided to choose alternative career paths. The rising costs of higher education presents an opportunity for alternative and supplementary means for learning the skill sets desired by employers. Educators must understand the motivational factors for adult learners returning to education in order to stay ahead of the recent shifts in global workforce.  \n2. Impact ofCOVID-19 on Learning and Advancement  \nThe recent global pandemic has created many challenges for colleges and universities as they meet the needs of students seeking a return on investment. To best understand how education must adapt in a post-pandemic world, it is important to understand how career paths have shifted during this unprecedented time.  \n2.1. Career outlook  \nBefore the pandemic, the increase in job availability in the United States was thriving. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “by the end of 2019, payroll  \nemployment in the United States had been growing steadily for over 9 years, marking the longest recovery and expansion in Current Employment Statistics (CES) history” [1] . In January and February 2020 alone, the nation saw an expansion of 604,000 jobs [1] . However, COVID-19 brought about changes to the workforce, some of them permanent. In January 2020, The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced its first case ofCOVID- 19 and, by the end of March 2020, the number of Covid-19 cases would exceed 22,000 [1] . In March 2020, state and local government restrictions began which included stay-at-home orders, social distancing requirements, capacity limitations, school closure, and travel restrictions. Some places of employment simply could not financially withstand the consequences of mandated closures and the other restrictions imposed by local and state governments. Consequently, the employment numbers plummeted. Ansell and Mullins [1] stated “After reaching a peak in February 2020, employment fell by a combined 22.4 million in March and April, a decline of 15 percent”. Many people were left with the decision of having to work remotely from home, find other employment, or receive unemployment.  \n2.2. The Great Resignation  \nDue to mandated closures and social distancing requirements, many employees had to switch to remote work. The great migration into remote work during Covid-19 changed how people regarded work. Handwerker et al. [6] revealed,“Using April and May Google Consumer Surveys of 25,000 people, Brynjolfsson et al. [24] states that about one-third of all U.S. workers shifted to remote-only work by April 2020, with little further change between April and May” [6] . The pandemic changed how people felt about their work situation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 4.3 million quit their jobs in ","cbCaitXsMYcvhfTX","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitXsMYcvhfTX","pdf",830366,5,"English","# 1. Introduction\n# 2. Impact of COVID-19 on Learning and Advancement\n## 2.1. Career outlook\n## 2.2. The Great Resignation\n## 2.3. Higher education","[{\"question\":\"How did COVID-19 affect adult learners’ motivations to return to education?\",\"answer\":\"The pandemic disrupted employment and forced many adults to reconsider career goals, making education a practical outlet for growth and advancement.\"},{\"question\":\"What workforce changes are linked to “The Great Resignation”?\",\"answer\":\"Mandated closures and remote work reshaped perceptions of work, while large numbers of employees quit in 2021, reflecting shifts toward family and health priorities.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is higher education described as significantly challenged during COVID-19?\",\"answer\":\"Many colleges canceled in-person classes, enrollment declined, and institutions faced quality and delivery challenges in online education.\"}]","Adult Learner Motivation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Research on Motivational Factors and Learning Adaptation | PDF",13,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":99},[100,104,108,112,116,121,126,129,133,136,140],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":92,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":125},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":86,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},30,"research-report",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":132},"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":135},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":137,"slug":139},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":141,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":142,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":143},19,"General","general"]