Adult learners’ decisions to pursue advanced education are driven by multiple motivations. Guided by Personal Investment Theory's eight goal-oriented dimensions, this study developed a validated instrument to assess the motivations of working professionals pursuing postbaccalaureate education: Continuing Education Motivation Scale (CEMS). We reviewed existing tools and revised items to reflect the multifaceted nature of adult motivation. Using data from U.S. residents, we conducted confirmative factor analysis (CFA) to confirm the instrument's reliability, followed by hierarchical regression and relative importance analyses. Results identified Striving for Excellence, Inherent Interest, Affiliation, Social Concern, and Power as key motivational drivers. Motivations significantly predicted learners’ preferences for instructional activities, with specific dimensions linked to collaborative, research-focused, and reflective tasks. These findings offer practical implications for designing graduate programs, marketing strategies, and learner engagement approaches that align with adult learners’ motivational profiles. By capture nuanced motivations, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of adult learners’ decision-making in formal education settings.
Kim et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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