Examining the learning intentions of low‐qualified employees: a mixed method study

Abstract

PurposeWhile the professional learning of high‐qualified employees has received a lot of attention, research that focuses on low‐qualified employees is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the learning intention of low‐qualified employees as a proximal determinant of their actual participation in learning activities.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied a mixed method approach. The quantitative part of the section applied a cross‐sectional survey design. In total 673 low‐qualified participants completed the questionnaire. Regression and ANOVA analyses were calculated to answer the research questions. For the qualitative part of this study, 14 low‐qualified employees were interviewed. These interviews were transcribed and encoded by means of descriptive coding and open coding, and split up into different categories using NVivo 8 software.FindingsThe results show that self‐directedness in career processes and financial satisfaction are positively related to the learning intentions of low‐qualified employees. The qualitative part of the research shows that low‐qualified employees primarily relate learning to formal learning activities, and that learning has a negative connotation for them due to prior negative experiences related to school learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe quantitative part of the research only considers formal learning, whereas the qualitative part of the research also allowed a discussion of informal learning experiences. Because of the negative connotation that low‐qualified employees attach to learning, it seems that semi‐structured interviews did not yield as much information as expected.Originality/valueBesides investigating possible antecedents of low‐qualified employees' learning intentions, this research also explores what learning means for this group of employees, who traditionally have an educational background that is filled with negative experiences.