The role of contextual conditions of vocational education for motivational orientations and emotional experiences

This article is concerned with the role of contextual conditions on motivational orientations and emotional experiences within the German Dual System of vocational education (VE). In our research approach we differentiate between three exemplary levels and meanings of context: educational setting, learning arrangement, and learning situation. Prior research in Germany has focused primarily on the analyses of differential motivational conditions and effects in two main educational settings: vocational school and training in companies. In a study in the educational setting of a company we tried to analyze the relation among contextual aspects at the level of learning arrangements and learning situations, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations, and a selected set of emotional experiences. We used a variety of different methodological approaches including video-based observations, and the experience-sampling method (ESM). Comparing the indicators of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational orientations between the two main learning arrangements (training at the workplace and lessons about vocational knowledge), we found significant differences only for interest orientation (not for achievement orientation) and for exemplary indicators of a positive emotional experiences (feelings of being interested and feelings of being committed). Contrary to our theoretical expectations, the measures indicating the quality of emotional experiences with respect to the postulated system of basic needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) did not vary systematically with the contextual conditions under consideration.