In the introduction of this paper the concept of motivation is explained in order to more easily understand the concept of motivation in a context of adult education. Numerous authors have different or similar views regarding he relationship between motivation and necessities, which is particularly emphasized in the paper. The attitudes of adults towards education, which can affect their involvement in education, are described, as well as the connection between motivation and the process of learning among adult learners, where the importance of motivation for attendant's satisfaction and quality learning are emphasized. Moreover, the previous research linked to the motivational factors in adult education, in which authors drew many conclusions about the motives of adults for engagement in education and their linkage with other factors, are described. In the second part of this paper, an empirical research about internal and external motives of adults for engagement in education, as well as the linkage of motives with variables: sex, age, degree and type of education, is conducted. The aim of the research was to increase the understanding of motives of adults for engagement in education. For the research purposes, the adult attendants of the programmes of People's University Rijeka were questioned about their motives for selection of specific programmes for adult education. A questionnaire, which was developed according to previously conducted research and theories, was used for the purposes of this research. The research involved 52 examinees. The prerequisite was that the person is at least 15 years old and attends a particular program of the People's University of Rijeka. The collected data was processed in the SPSS program, and the obtained results were interpreted. The results obtained with the research process were compared with the previously conducted research about the motivational factors in adult education. The results obtained with the research process were compared with the previously conducted research about the motivational factors in adult education.