Factors Influencing Learning Motivation and Competence Development Among Students in Hungarian Law Enforcement Higher Education
Copyright (c) 2026 Horváth Bíborka
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Introduction: In Hungarian law enforcement higher education, the development of core public service competencies has gained increasing emphasis, as the presence and enhancement of these competencies are essential for professional preparedness and high-quality service delivery. Although numerous studies address the theoretical background of competence development, relatively few empirical investigations examine how students perceive their own competence development and which factors influence their learning processes. The present study aims to explore these questions in depth.
Objectives: The research investigates students’ learning motivation, perceived competence development, and the supporting and hindering factors that shape their development within the context of Hungarian law enforcement education. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 49 students. The instrument assesses learning attitudes, sources of motivation, environmental factors that facilitate or impede learning, and the perceived development of unified core public service competencies.
Methods: Based on the results, learning motivation of students appears moderately high overall, and most respondents evaluate the competence-enhancing impact of the training positively. Supporting factors – particularly instructor feedback, a supportive group atmosphere, and practice-oriented teaching – were strongly present, while hindering factors were primarily related to time constraints, external stress, and overload.
The findings suggest that a supportive learning environment plays a crucial role in the competence development of students. An important conclusion is that motivation is closely linked to the quality of instructional methods and the practical applicability of the material. Further analyses are expected to contribute to the development of assessment and training tools that can more effectively support competence development processes in law enforcement higher education.
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References
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