Employability and motivation: which motivational theories are most appropriate?

Abstract

PurposeA range of models of employability implicitly or directly identify potential drivers of motivated behaviour related to engaging in employment-related outcomes whilst acknowledging that employability is also about developing life skills. Motivational theorists suggest that tasks engaged for external purposes, e.g. working towards an employment-related goal, are experienced differently than (those same) tasks engaged in for less external reasons, e.g. the desire for knowledge. Whilst there are excellent examples of the use of motivational theory in some models of employability, sometimes the evidence is either outdated, incorrectly interpreted or fails to use the most appropriate motivational theory. The aim of this paper is to bring to attention several prominent motivational theories and some key evidence that seems most pertinent across models of employability.Design/methodology/approachAs this was a non-empirical design, the approach did not fit any research design methodology or structured, systematic or meta-analysis review. The paper outlines a series of arguments by reviewing in detail several theories of motivation and mapping them against current models of employability.FindingsFrom a theoretical point of perspective, it is suggested that Expectancy Value Theory needs to be considered when creating models of employability. It is also suggested that motivation for employment-related tasks is probably extrinsic, though evidence suggests that forms of extrinsic motivation can also be motivationally adaptive. Several models posit self-efficacy as a driver of motivated behaviour, but the evidence suggests a clear and consistent interactive relationship between subjective task value and self-efficacy, suggesting that self-efficacy is only a useful predictor when value is high.Practical implicationsWhilst the aim of models of employability is to improve our understanding of the predictors of employability behaviours, the practical consequence is the development of appropriate curriculum. Understanding which features of employability create adaptive and maladaptive motivation should help educators create curriculum that produces optimal engagement and performance.Originality/valueModels of employability are mostly created using bodies of extant evidence. In this paper, we have tried to identify where some of the interpretation of the evidence has been more or less appropriate. We hope that ideas and evidence in this paper will allow theorists, where appropriate, to re-develop their models.