Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how adult learners' motivation, engagement and knowledge retention evolve over time during participation in a workplace e-learning module. The study responds to calls for more longitudinal approaches to evaluate learning effectiveness and experience, recognising that cross-sectional designs provide only static insights into dynamic learning processes. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-longitudinal qualitative case study was conducted with ten workplace learners who were interviewed at three points: before, during and after completing an online e-learning module, producing 30 interviews in total. Reflexive thematic analysis supported by longitudinal coding enabled the identification of four core themes. Temporality was used as an analytical lens to trace shifts across baseline, midpoint and post-module stages. Findings Motivation shifted from compliance-driven expectations at baseline to relevance-driven during the module and intrinsically meaningful by completion. Engagement deepened as learners progressed from initial scepticism to valuing interactive features such as quizzes and exploratory tasks. Knowledge retention was supported by summaries, note-taking and the transfer of knowledge into workplace practice. Findings demonstrate that learner experiences unfold dynamically, and that meaning-making plays a central role in sustaining engagement and retention. Originality/value This study contributes to the limited body of longitudinal qualitative research in workplace e-learning. By operationalising time as data, it advances understanding of how motivation and engagement develop through the learning cycle and provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating digital learning aligned with the human-centric ethos of Industry 5.0.
Pimblett et al. (2026) studied this question.