The adult learner's motivation to participate in continuing education within the contract management profession

摘要

Increasingly professional organizations are adopting continuing education as a means to improve the practice of their members and maintain or establish their professionalism. Physicians, lawyers, nurses, as well as educators are requiring members of their respective professions to continue their education, past what may normally be considered a terminal degree. The field of contract management is one such occupation.;Contract Managers are involved with one of the most critical aspects of our nation's defense as well as one of the most turbulent functions of government and industry over the past few years. Each year, thousands of contracting professionals participate in various educational programs, either on a voluntary or mandatory basis. Unfortunately there is a lack of empirical evidence as to these practicing professionals' motivational orientations with regard to participation in continuing education. There exists a research void as to why contract managers participate in professional continuing education (PCE). Before effective professional continuing education programs for contract managers can be designed and implemented, more data are required specifically about the reasons for the contract manager's participation in continuing education activities.;This study was designed to: (1) Determine the professional characteristics possessed by contract managers, (2) Examine the relative importance contract managers as a group place on reasons for participation in professional continuing education, (3) Identify the factors which represent the possible categorizations of reasons for participation and (4) Analyze the possible relationships between specific characteristics of the contract managers, i.e., age, sex, employer, education, years of experience and the participation factors identified.