Why (not) participate in further education? Adult Learners 'motivation from an expectancy-value perspective

Lifelong learning is a critical success factor for economic, societal and individual growth. Adult's motivation to learn is especially important as a prerequi-site for individuals' ongoing engagement in adult and further education. However, although numerous studies address individuals' motivation to participate in further education, research in further education still lacks a comprehensive theoretical framework to integrate existing findings and identify starting points for future empirical investigations. This paper proposes Eccles' expectancy-value model, which has proven itself in many empirical studies within educational psychology, as a suitable theoretical framework to address adults' motivation to participate in further education. To support this claim, theoretical models and empirical evidence regarding adults' participation in further education are integrated within the expectancy-value framework. In addition, the present paper outlines the potential of an expectancy-value approach to adults' motivation to participate in further education and suggests ways to link school-based and further education research.