International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 5
Number 4
December 2011
535
1 INTRODUCTION
Increasing the quality of maritime studies is a rele-
vant problem, which may be studied in different as-
pects, and one of them is the study of the students’
approach to learning as the individual students’
characteristics. Quality of studies is a multidimen-
sional and complex phenomenon (Heywood, 2000;
Bartuseviciene, Rupsiene, 2010). The impact of the
students’ approach to learning on the results of stud-
ies was investigated in the works of F. Marton and
R. Säljö, (1976), P. Ramsden (2003), N. Petty
(2004), G. Pask (1976), N. Entwistle, P. Ramsden
(1983). The authors who had investigated the pro-
cess of studies determined that there were two dif-
ferent students’ approaches to learning that were
named by the scientists as deep and surface ones.
According to those authors different approaches to
learning determine different results of learning,
therefore, investigating the students’ approaches to
learning and determining the prerequisites of deep
approach to learning that leads to better results of
studies, it is possible to find an answer to the ques-
tion about the increasing of the quality of studies.
J. Biggs (1987a) expanded F. Marton ir R. Säljö
(1976) theoretical model by stating that the approach
to learning consists of two components: motive of
learning and strategy of learning which is under-
stood as a whole of the ways and the habits of learn-
ing (Table 1). The construct of students’ theoretical
approach to learning is based on the idea that the
learning motives of students determine the strategies
of learning and depend not only on personal charac-
teristics of students but also on learning context and
content of learning tasks (Biggs, 1987a). J. Biggs
(1987b) created SPQ (Study Process Questionnaire)
to determine the approach of students to learning,
learning motives and strategies, and later on it was
revised to a shorter one with 20 questions, R-2F-
SPQ (The revised two-factor study process ques-
tionnaire) (Biggs, Kember, Leung, 2001).
Improving MET Quality: Relationship Between
Motives of Choosing Maritime Professions and
Students’ Approaches to Learning
G. Kalvaitiene, I. Bartuseviciene & V. Sencila
Lithuanian Maritime Academy, Klaipeda, Lithuania
ABSTRACT: Question of improvement quality of studies is a continual hot issue in every educational envi-
ronment. In maritime education and training, this question is especially important because of international
regulations of maritime professions. Quality of studies is a multidimensional and complex phenomenon. It is
influenced by wide range of factors: from labour market and current educational policy to individual students’
efforts and characteristics. Motives of choosing maritime profession and approaches to learning are character-
istics of an individual person. Quality of studies is influenced by students’ approaches to learning: deep ap-
proach to learning is related with higher quality of studies, surface approach – to lower quality. On the other
hand approaches to learning could be influenced by motives of choosing profession, which affect entire pro-
fessional career planning. Both phenomena are important for the improvement of quality of studies.
The relation between motives of choosing maritime professions and students’ approaches to learning in the
context of quality of studies are under investigation in this paper.
536
Table 1. Motives and strategies as complex components of the
approach to learning (Biggs, 1987b).
Approach
Motive
Strategy
Surface
(SA)
Surface motive (SM) is
to meet requirements
minimally, a balancing
act between failing and
working more than is
necessary
Surface strategy (SS)
is to limit target to
bare Essentials and
reproduce them
through learning
Deep
(DA)
Deep motive (DM) is in-
trinsic interest in what is
being learned; to devel-
op competence in partic-
ular academic subject
Deep strategy (DS) is
to discover meaning
by reading widely, in-
ter-relating with per-
vious relevant
knowledge, etc.
Analysing the possibilities how to improve MET
efficiency of studies it is urgent to investigate the
motivation concept of profession choosing and its
relation with the approaches to learning that is the
prerequisite of high efficiency of studies.
The initiator of the theory of modern choice of
professions is considered by F. Parson, who founded
the first professional consulting bureau in 1908 in
the USA. He formulated the main principles of suc-
cessful profession choosing (Parson, 1909):
− good self-cognition;
− good knowledge of peculiarities of the chosen
profession;
− ability to correctly combine this knowledge and
take the right profession solution.
R. Hoppock (1950) explains choosing profession
via the satisfaction of need. The essence of his theo-
ry is revealed by ten postulates which speak about
the fact that a man chooses his profession to satisfy
his needs. According to R.Hoppock, choosing pro-
fession is being improved when a man starts to im-
ply that the future profession will better satisfy his
needs.
J. Holland’s theory (1959) is popular among the
theoretical and practical people very much, which
states that personalities can be divided to six types
that were named as realistic, researcher’s, artistic,
sociable, initiative and normative. In J. Holland’s
opinion people tend to look for such labour activity
environment, where they might express themselves.
He states that similar people choose similar profes-
sions, but satisfaction from work, success and stabil-
ity depend on how the personality matches to the
environment (Holland, 1966).
The most striking representative of the develop-
ment model of choosing profession is Donald Super
(Super, 1957). The scientist states that by choosing
profession a man essentially chooses one of the main
means how to express his personal “ego”. Profes-
sional behavior of a person is a way to implement
his professional self-image.
The background of D. Krumboltz theory is learn-
ing (1979). According to his statement, there are 4
groups of factors important for the professional self-
determination: genes – inherited properties, limiting
learning possibilities and choosing profession; envi-
ronment – social, cultural, political, economical,
natural conditions; knowledge of learning – priority
development of professions, distribution of certain
works, as each individual person has got unique
learning knowledge it makes impact on profession
choosing; task fulfillment skills – there come out task
fulfillment standards and values, labour habits, cog-
nition processes and emotional reactions.
According to prof. L. Jovaiša (1999) there are the
following motivation factors of profession choosing:
social (social state of parents, vicinity of educational
institutions), economical (payment for work), psy-
chological (interests, turns, values, intellect and
character), health.
Figure 1. Factors, influencing choosing of profession.
537
The discussed theories should help to understand
the factors that determine the solution of profession
choosing process. Summarizing scheme of factors,
influencing choosing of profession is shown on fig-
ure 1.
Tasks of presented investigation are:
− Investigate the motives determining the choice of
seafarer’s profession.
− Diagnose the individual characteristics of stu-
dents, their approach to learning that determines
the efficiency of studies.
Determine the relations between the motives and
approaches to learning.
2 THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
2.1 The sample size
Sample of research was made of full-time students
of maritime specialties’ studying at Lithuanian Mari-
time Academy. Making the samples of research the
voluntary principle was followed – all the students
that were present on query days at school and who
expressed their wish were included. Such way of
sampling is considered reliable.
In December 2010 – January 2011 233 students
from all courses were interrogated (95 % of all mari-
time specialties’ students): first year students – 39,1
percent, second year students – 33,0 percent, third
year students – 19,3 percent and fourth year students
– 8,6 percent. The sample consisted of 145 students
from Marine Navigation study program (62,2 per-
cent) and 88 – Marine Engineering study program
students (37,8 percent).
2.2 The research instrument
The questionnaire survey was used to collect data in
order to examine and verify theoretical and explora-
tory insights about relationship between motives of
choosing maritime professions and students’ ap-
proaches to learning. The originally developed ques-
tionnaire consisted out of 117 questions. The Re-
vised-Two Factor-Study Process Questionnaire
(Biggs, Kember, Leung, 2001) translated into the
Lithuanian language, adapted, and validated was
used as a part of the originally developed question-
naire.
The validity of the R-2F-SPQ questionnaire was
checked by confirmatory factor analysis, using
VARIMAX method of co-ordinate turning. High
KMO ratio (0, 838) and the meaning of Bartlett test
(p=0,000) confirmed the suitability of data for factor
analysis. During factor analysis four factors were
pointed out corresponding subscales of Biggs ques-
tionnaire, where the factor weights (L) of compo-
nents are rather high: from 0,543 to 0,817. Four
pointed out factors explained 52,23 percent of vari-
ance – such percentage is satisfactory in social sci-
ences (Pett, Lackey, Sullivan, 2003).
2.3 The data analysis
The data acquired during the research were analysed
using statistical analysis methods (using SPSS for
Windows program, 13
th
version). Analysing quanti-
tative data methods of descriptive statistics (data dis-
tribution percents were calculated), non-parametric
tests (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests), fac-
tor analysis, correlation tests using Spearman's rho
were applied. For reliability analysis Cronbach’s Al-
pha and Corrected Item-Total Correlation coeffi-
cients were used.
3 RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION
3.1 Analysis of motives of seafarer’s profession
choosing
In order to clear out the motives of those young peo-
ple who chose seafarer’s profession the 47 motives
were investigated. Having made the analysis it was
determined that there were the following important
and very much important motives for profession
choosing: the seafarer’s work is responsible very
much (89,7 percent); seafarer’s profession is per-
spective (85 percent); seafarer’s profession is mas-
culine (84,2 percent); it is possible to earn well (81,6
percent); seafarers can make career (79 percent);
seafarer’s work is rather interesting (76,8 percent);
seafarers can easily maintain their families (76 per-
cent);74,4 percent wished to get higher education;
74,3 percent of respondents dream to become a cap-
tain/navigator or chief mechanic; Seafarers are con-
sidered as good specialists (73, 3 percent); seafarer’s
life is full of adventures (72,9 percent); seafarer’s
profession is very attractive (70,8 percent); seafar-
er’s profession is one of the most perspective for
those who live in seaside region (60,9 percent). 52,6
percent of students who participated in the research
considered that when choosing profession an im-
portant or very much important motive was the uni-
versality of this profession, that after acquisition of
seafarer’s profession it was possible to work at sea
or on shore.
The fact that the respondents purposefully chose
seafarer’s profession assessing different aspects can
be seen in their answers to the statements but only a
small part of respondents managed to answer: „I
wish to acquire speciality which I am studying but I
do not connect my life with the sea“ (only 29,2 per-
cent completely or partially agreed to it) and „I
wished to study other speciality but I did not manage
538
to enter the institution“ (27,9 percent), „I wished to
obey my parents“ (26,6 percent).
We may come to a conclusion that the motives of
choosing profession of the great majority of young
people were determined by economical (good salary,
possibility to assure social welfare of the family, ca-
reer possibilities and etc.), social (wish to acquire
education, seafarer’s work is responsible, seafarers
are assessed as good specialists, it is one of the most
perspective professions for those who live in seaside
region and etc.) and psychological (seafarer’s work
seems to be interesting, dreams to become a captain
or chief mechanic and etc.) factors.
Factor analysis was applied when analysing the
students’ motivation of choosing seafarer’s profes-
sion. This method of analysis allows grouping a big
quantity of variables, therefore, it was necessary to
adapt it for the conditions of this research, as in the
questionnaire there were submitted 47 motives of
choosing seafarer’s profession. When making factor
analysis, first of all we had to convince ourselves
that the scale of motives is a reliable measuring de-
vice and that it is suitable for factor analysis (KMO
coefficient 0,852; Barlett’s test p meaning - 0,000).
Having made factor analysis out of 47 motives of
choosing seafarer’s profession, 12 factors were
picked out that were treated as summarized motives
of choosing seafarer’s profession (Table 3). The
weight of a factor is the correlation coefficient of a
factor to the variable. Factor weight meanings are in-
terpreted like all meanings of correlation coeffi-
cients. Factors are disclosed by those variables that
compose it, the factor weight of which (L) comply
with the condition L>0,6. Therefore, when analysing
the data, most of the attention is paid to those varia-
bles namely.
Table 3. Factor groups of seafarer’s profession choosing
motives.
Factor mak-
ing weights
(L
n
)
L1
0,807
0,792
0,789
0,747
0,729
0,630
0,622
0,611
0,593
0,584
0,542
L2
0,789
0,722
Think that it will be easy to maintain family
well
0,635
Seafarer’s work is very much responsible
0,611
Factor 3. Accidentally chosen profession
motive
L3
Wish to acquire speciality that they learn but
do not connect their life with sea
0,783
Seafarer’s profession was chosen accidental-
ly
0,777
Wished to study other specialities but did
not manage to enter the institutions
0,725
Friends suggested
0,637
Wished to obey parents
0,621
Wanted to avoid military service
0,592
Parents forced
0,553
Factor 4. Influence of relatives motive
L4
Have got a lot of familiar seafarers
0,783
Have got familiar seafarers who might find
job in good companies and good salary
0,737
There are seafarers in the family and they
wanted to continue family traditions
0,700
Close people advised
0,630
Parents forced
0,533
Factor 5. Emotional attractiveness motive
L5
Lover of nature
0,595
Lithuania needs seafarers
0,590
Liked Seafarer’s clothing
0,549
Seafarer’s profession is not ordinary
0,516
Factor 6. Benefit from profession motive
L6
Will be able to travel round the world free of
charge and see different countries
0,747
Seafarers are honoured in our society
0,532
Factor 7. Masculine profession motive
L7
Seafarer’s profession is very much mascu-
line
0,778
Women love seafarers
0,731
Factor 8. Valuable statements motive
L8
Sea teaches to be human being
0,692
Seafarer’s profession is one of the most per-
spective for those who live in seaside region
0,509
Factor 9. Wish to acquire education motive
L9
Wished to get higher education
0,788
Easy to enter maritime specialities
0,617
Factor 10. Professional possibilities motive
L10
Having a speciality that study, they think
they will be able to work at sea and on shore
0,770
Think that it will be easy to find a job
0,571
Seafarer’s profession is one of the most per-
spective for those who live in seaside region
0,500
Factor 11. Economic benefit motive
L11
Think that they can earn very well
0,720
Factor 12. Planning to work in maritime
business motive
L12
Connect their future with shipping business
0,745
Summarising we may state that maritime profes-
sion choosing is determined both by internal and ex-
ternal factors. During factor analysis the following
factors are picked out: „Aptitudes and interests mo-
tives” and „Emotional attractiveness motive“ corre-
spond to internal factors psychical motives picked
out in theoretical model. But factor „Valuable state-
ments motive” and „Masculine profession motive”
correspond to internal factors spiritual motives.
Profession choosing was determined by economic
motives of external and internal factors. It can be
539
seen by factor groups picked out during the research:
„Career possibilities and economic benefit motive“,
„Economic benefit motive“, „Professional possibili-
ties motive“, „Planning to work in maritime business
motive“. Factor groups: „Wish to acquire education
motive “ and „Benefit from profession motive” show
that social factors of external factors were very
much important in choosing seafarer’s profession.
Social factors of external factors predetermined
choosing seafarer’s profession as well. This is con-
firmed by the picked out factor groups: Influence of
relative motive and accidentally chosen profession
motive.
3.2 Relation between the motives of choosing
seafarers’ professions and approaches to
learning
In order to determine the connection between the
motives of choosing seafarer’s profession and ap-
proaches to learning, it was decided to join each fac-
tor defining variables into quantitative variables by
aggregation. To assess whether the items which
were summed to create aggregated variable, formed
a reliable scale, Cronbach’s alpha was computed.
The internal consistency reliability analysis indicat-
ing the consistency of a multiple item scale appro-
priate for summation of variables to the aggregated
variable can be done by using Cronbach’s alpha co-
efficient (Leech, Barrett, Morgan, 2008). It was dis-
covered, that scales of six motives can be used for
summation, because Cronbach’s Alpha of items of
that motives were bigger or close to 0,7 (Table 4).
Table 4. Aggregated variables – factors of motives.
Number
Aggregated variables – factors of
motives
Cronbach's
Alpha
1
Aptitudes and interests motives
0,914
2
Career possibilities and economic
benefit motive
0,779
3
Accidentally chosen profession mo-
tive
0,840
4
Influence of relatives motive
0,753
6
Benefit from profession motive
0,696
5
Emotional attractiveness motive
0,677
7
Masculine profession motive
0,551
8
Valuable statements motive
0,410
9
Wish to acquire education motive
0,405
10
Professional possibilities motive
0,452
Six new agregated variables, named according to
motive‘s names, were used for correlation analysis
of motives of choosing profession and approaches to
learning. For correlation analysis Sreaman’s coeffi-
cient was used, because scores of variables were not
normally distributed (Morgan, Leech, Gloeckner,
Barrett, 2007).
The correlation values of Spearman’s rho presented
in the table 5 show statistically significant correlations
of Deep Approach scores and emotional attractive-
ness, aptitudes and interests, benefits from profes-
sion motives. This can be understood, that students
study more effectively if they have chosen the pro-
fession based on their emotions and interests, and
understand advantages of chosen profession.
Table 5. Spearman’s rho coefficients of statistically significant
correlations of Deep Approach to studies and motives.
Number
Aggregated variables –
factors of motives
Spear-
man’s rho
p
5
Emotional attractiveness
motives
0,316
0,000
1
Aptitudes and interests
motives
0,313
0,000
6
Benefits from profession
motives
0,186
0,005
The analysis showed statistically significant cor-
relations (p=0,000) of Surface Approach with mo-
tives of choosing profession in two cases:
1 with Accidentally chosen profession motive
(Spearman’s rho=0,432);
2 with Influence of relatives motive (Spearman’s
rho=0,282).
The investigations can lead to the conclusion that
if student chooses the profession accidentally or the
decision is influenced by relatives, student uses Sur-
face Approach to learning and his study effective-
ness in this case is not very high.
Summing up the results of approaches to learning
and motives of choosing professions correlation
analysis, it can be stated, that understanding of men-
tioned relations can directly influence quality of
maritime education and training: students’ emotions,
interests, and understanding of the advantages of
maritime professions lead to higher quality of stud-
ies, but accidental or influenced by relatives decision
to become a seafarer lead to less qualitative studies.
It was found, that first year students more than upper
course students and female students more than male
students are oriented towards Deep Approach to
learning.
Statistically proved conclusion can be done that
maritime education and training institutions have to
explain young people all merits of maritime profes-
sion and show possibility for them to find emotional
attractiveness and realization of their interests if they
will choose maritime professions. In this case, ac-
cording to the results of the research the studies will
be effective and quality of MET will increase.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The motives of choosing profession of the great ma-
jority of young people were determined by economi-
cal (good salary, possibility to maintain family wel-
fare, career possibilities and etc.), social (wish to
540
acquire education, seafarer’s work is responsible,
seafarers are valuated as specialists, seafarer’s pro-
fession is one of the most perspective for those who
live in seaside region and etc.) and psychological
(seafarer’s work seemed to be very interesting,
dream to become a captain or chief mechanic and
etc.) factors. Both external and internal factors pre-
determine the choice of seafarer’s profession.
The results of correlation analysis of motives of
choosing maritime professions’ and approaches to
learning showed relations of Deep Approach with
students’ emotions (Spearman’s rho=0,316, p=0,000)
interests (Spearman’s rho=0,313, p=0,000) and un-
derstanding of the advantages of maritime profes-
sions (Spearman’s rho=0,186, p=0,000) that means if
student chooses profession following mentioned mo-
tives, his studies are of higher quality. Relations of
Surface Approach with accidental (Spearman’s
rho=0,432, p=0,000) or influenced by relatives
(Spearman’s rho=0,282, p=0,000) motives to take
decision to become a seafarer show less qualitative
studies.
It is clearly proved statistically that if student
chooses profession following his emotions, interest
and understanding of the advantages of professions,
his studies are more effective, than if he chooses
profession accidentally or influenced by relatives. It
was found, that first year students more than upper
course students and female students more than male
students are oriented towards Deep Approach to
learning. The conclusion can be done that maritime
education and training institutions have to explain
young people all merits of maritime profession and
show possibility for them to find emotional attrac-
tiveness and realization of their interests if they
choose maritime professions. In this case, according
to the results of the research the studies will be ef-
fective and quality of MET will increase.
REFERENCES
Bartusevičienė, I., Rupšienė, L. 2010. Periodic assessment of
students’ achievements as a factor of effectiveness of stud-
ies: the opinion of social pedagogy students. Tiltai, 2 (51),
pp. 99-112.
Biggs, J. 1987a. Student approaches to learning and studying.
Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Biggs, J. 1987b. The Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ).
Manual. Hawthorn, Vic.: Australian Council for
Educational Research.
Biggs, J., Kember, D., Leung, D. 2001. The revised two-factor
study process questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of
Educational Psychology, Mar 2001, 71, pp. 133-149.
Crick, R. D. 2007. Learning how to learn: The dynamic
assessment of learning power. Curriculum Journal 18(2): 135–
153.
Heywood, J. 2000. Assessment in Higher education. Student
Learning, Teaching, Programmes and Institutions. London:
Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.
Holland, J. L. (1966). The psychology of vocational choice.
Waltham, MA: Blaisdell.
Hoppock, R. 1950. Presidential Address 1950. Occupations,
28, 497-499.
Entwistle, N., Ramsden, P. 1983. Understanding Student
Learning. London: Groom Helm.
Krumboltz, J. D. 1979. A social learning theory of career deci-
sion making. In A. M. Mitchell, G. B. Jones, & J.
Leech, N. L., Barrett, K. C., Morgan, G. A. 2008. SPSS for In-
termediate Statistics: Use and Interpretation. New York:
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Marton, F., Säljö, R. 1997. Approaches to learning. In: F. Mar-
ton, D. Hounsell, N. Entwistle (eds.). The experience of
learning. Implications for teaching and studying in higher
education. Second edition. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic
Press, 39–59.
Morgan, G. A., Leech, N. L., Gloeckner, G. W., Barrett, K. C.
2007. SPSS for Introductory Statistics: Use and Interpreta-
tion. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associated, Publish-
ers.
Pask, G. 1976. Styles and strategies of learning. British Journal
of Educational Psychology 46: 128–148.
Parsons, F. 1909. Choosing a vocation. Boston: Houghton Mif-
flin.
Petty, G. 2004. Teaching Today. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes
Ltd.
Ramsden, P. 2003. Learning to Teach in Higher Education.
London: Routledge.
Super, D. E. 1957. The psychology of careers. New York: Har-
per & Row.