Over the last two decades, research has identified factors that foster versus undermine human motivation and well being with important implications for learning and performance. Much of the research is concerned with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and autonomous versus non-autonomous learning environments. The data suggests that learning and performance are often significantly enhanced in autonomy-supportive environments that foster intrinsic motivational perspectives. This study examines the lived experience of Abraham Lincoln in the context of his adult learning motivation, forming a qualitative narrative around his adult educational experiences. It was hypothesized that Abraham Lincoln benefited from learning experiences with high levels of both intrinsic motivation and autonomy-supportive contexts. Results indicate that Abraham Lincoln experienced near total autonomy in his learning activities and that most of his adult learning activities were intrinsically-motivated. A discussion section explores the relevance of the findings to select topics in adult education.
","abstract_html":"<p>Over the last two decades, research has identified factors that foster versus undermine human motivation and well being with important implications for learning and performance. Much of the research is concerned with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and autonomous versus non-autonomous learning environments. The data suggests that learning and performance are often significantly enhanced in autonomy-supportive environments that foster intrinsic motivational perspectives. This study examines the lived experience of Abraham Lincoln in the context of his adult learning motivation, forming a qualitative narrative around his adult educational experiences. It was hypothesized that Abraham Lincoln benefited from learning experiences with high levels of both intrinsic motivation and autonomy-supportive contexts. Results indicate that Abraham Lincoln experienced near total autonomy in his learning activities and that most of his adult learning activities were intrinsically-motivated. A discussion section explores the relevance of the findings to select topics in adult education.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Greer, Warren"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts of Education","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["James Berger (Director), John Moore, Judy Pierce"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:26Z","subjects":["Achievement Motivation","Intrinsic Motivation","Extrinsic Motivation","Motivation (Psychology)","Psychology- Philosophy","Autonomy","Cognition","Cognition and Perception","Educational Administration and Supervision","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1264","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["James Berger (Director), John Moore, Judy Pierce"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Greer, Warren"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Achievement Motivation","Intrinsic Motivation","Extrinsic Motivation","Motivation (Psychology)","Psychology- Philosophy","Autonomy","Cognition","Cognition and Perception","Educational Administration and Supervision","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1264"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Over the last two decades, research has identified factors that foster versus undermine human motivation and well being with important implications for learning and performance. Much of the research is concerned with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and autonomous versus non-autonomous learning environments. The data suggests that learning and performance are often significantly enhanced in autonomy-supportive environments that foster intrinsic motivational perspectives. This study examines the lived experience of Abraham Lincoln in the context of his adult learning motivation, forming a qualitative narrative around his adult educational experiences. It was hypothesized that Abraham Lincoln benefited from learning experiences with high levels of both intrinsic motivation and autonomy-supportive contexts. Results indicate that Abraham Lincoln experienced near total autonomy in his learning activities and that most of his adult learning activities were intrinsically-motivated. A discussion section explores the relevance of the findings to select topics in adult education.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: Abraham Lincoln as an Adult Learner"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["James Berger (Director), John Moore, Judy Pierce"],"dc:creator":["Greer, Warren"],"dc:description.abstract":["Over the last two decades, research has identified factors that foster versus undermine human motivation and well being with important implications for learning and performance. Much of the research is concerned with intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and autonomous versus non-autonomous learning environments. The data suggests that learning and performance are often significantly enhanced in autonomy-supportive environments that foster intrinsic motivational perspectives. This study examines the lived experience of Abraham Lincoln in the context of his adult learning motivation, forming a qualitative narrative around his adult educational experiences. It was hypothesized that Abraham Lincoln benefited from learning experiences with high levels of both intrinsic motivation and autonomy-supportive contexts. Results indicate that Abraham Lincoln experienced near total autonomy in his learning activities and that most of his adult learning activities were intrinsically-motivated. A discussion section explores the relevance of the findings to select topics in adult education.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1264"],"dc:subject":["Achievement Motivation","Intrinsic Motivation","Extrinsic Motivation","Motivation (Psychology)","Psychology- Philosophy","Autonomy","Cognition","Cognition and Perception","Educational Administration and Supervision","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Educational Leadership","Educational Psychology","Personality and Social Contexts"],"dc:title":["Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: Abraham Lincoln as an Adult Learner"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:08:26Z"}