Motivation is the driver of adult learning. The paper reveals the importance and peculiarities of adults’ learning process. There has been analyzed the impact of external and internal factors on the efficiency of adult learning; various approaches to the typology of intrinsic motivation are presented. The author has also considered the components of motivational sphere (emotional aspect, the set aims, the ability to learn), which can significantly influence the level of adult learning motivation.

One of the innovative perspectives to increase student involvement is gamification. The article aims to analyse selected motivational mechanisms in the context of gamification tools. The pragmatic nature of students (obtaining a better final grade, improving the organisation of the learning process) is compared with players’ experiences and the offered gamification models. While students’ goals relate mainly to effectiveness (study certificates, practical skills and knowledge with minimum effort), games are process-oriented (fun, engagement). The paper states that the differences may be apparent and proposes motivational tools that can make learners’ experience resemble players’ one. Particular attention is paid to the art of failure, autonomy, community and mandatory fun, which are discussed from the perspective of the theory of self-determination (competence, autonomy, relatedness) and cognitive dissonance (effort justification, insufficient punishment, counter-attitudinal advocacy paradigm). The article advocates voluntary participation or at least the choice of different educational paths and tools. Secondly, the paper encourages implementing features enabling students stress-free freedom to experiment and experience failure.

The study aimed to analyse changes in school belonging in higher education students during online instruction and to verify its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with academic adjustment in the first and higher years of study. The research sample consisted of 169 higher education students (90.5% women, M = 21.71; SD = 2.63) in the first measurement (end of the winter term), and 77 respondents (96% women, M = 21.38; SD = 2.03) in the second measurement (end of the summer term). Self-report methods were used. Results showed a decline in school belonging among first-year students. School belonging significantly predicted academic adjustment, and the relationship with internal motivation persisted even four months later. The findings support the key role and need for facilitating school belonging in higher education students in the online environment.