Reasons for Foreign Professional Learners’ Participation in Nuclear-Related Continuing Professional Education in Korea

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore foreign professional learners’ reasons for participation in nuclear-related continuing professional education in Korea and identify individual factors affecting them and the hierarchical relations among them. Theoretical Framework: The Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) developed by Grotelueschen, Kenny, & Harnisch (1980) is the main scale. Method: To achieve this purpose, this study utilized a descriptive statistical analysis, factor and reliability analysis, t-test, and one-way ANOVA to analyze the results of the Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) developed by Grotelueschen, Kenny, & Harnisch (1980). Results and Discussion: The results showed that the foreign professional learners’ participation reasons could be categorized into four factors: professional service, professional improvement and development, professional maintenance and interaction, and professional reflection. Research Implications: The participation reasons differed depending on foreign professional learners’ level of discretion about participating in the continuing professional education programs and also depending on their age. Instructional designers and performance evaluators should consider these results when planning and designing nuclear-related continuing professional education programs for foreign professional learners in Korea and elsewhere. Originality/Value: This work is based on Hyeon-Jin Kim’s article presented in the Academy of Human Resource Development, San Antonio, Texas the United States, 28 Febuary - 4 March 2017.