Motivational Factors in Choosing a Maritime Career: Descriptive Research among Croatian Students of Secondary and Higher Maritime Education

Abstract

The conducted research was induced by the lack of research
into the motivation for choosing a maritime career in
Croatia, which is a traditional maritime country. The main
objective of the research was to examine the reasons for
enrolling in secondary school programs and undergraduate
studies related to two maritime orientations (nautical
navigation and marine engineering) in Croatia. The survey
involved 403 students from seven secondary schools and
264 students of undergraduate studies. The reasons for
enrolling in maritime education are categorized into two
groups; motivation related to choosing a maritime career
and motivation unrelated to a maritime career. The analysis
of the obtained data indicated that the choice of maritime
education orientation was dominated by the motivation
underlying the selection of the maritime profession (79 % in
the secondary and 93 % in the higher education students'
sample). The identified reasons (strong interest in the nature
and dynamics of the maritime profession, employment
opportunities, wage rates and tradition) were categorized
according to the level of autonomous regulation in selection.
The reasons for choosing a maritime course of education
unrelated to the maritime profession are particularly
prevalent in the sample of secondary school students.