The purpose of the article: based on the analysis of the most popular theories of motivation to study, to show the role of the formation of positive expectations in adult study participants on motivation to study and its results. Motivation to study is understood as a hypothetical construction that consists of a general set of processes, methods, and means of motivating individuals to productive cognitive activity, and active assimilation of knowledge, which depends on the level of formation of their motivation to study, as well as the desire and desire to learn. One of the factors of motivation is expectations, which are interpreted as the result or its probability, what a person would like to get from his efforts and, accordingly, exactly what efforts he is ready to spend for this. The article examines the theories of activity motivation and learning motivation with a focus on the formation of positive learning expectations as a factor in motivating the learning activities of employees of enterprises. It analyzes how expectations affect the motivation of learning in adults, how they can be used in the formation of learning strategies, and which needs are the most critical for the formation of internal learning motivation. It was determined that according to the latest research, the most relevant expectations in the formation of educational motivation are the interaction of the need for autonomy, competence, social context, the practicality of acquired knowledge, the formation of a positive educational experience, and incorrectly formed expectations can be a powerful demotivating factor. Keywords: learning motivation, internal and external learning motives, learning motivation in crisis conditions