Examining the Effects of Post-Training Interventions on Transfer of Training

251 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998.This study examined the effectiveness of two post-training interventions, goal-setting and self-management training, on improving transfer of training. The interventions provided trainees with cognitive skills and techniques needed to help them transfer their learned skills from the classroom to their jobs and to generalize their training to new situations. This study investigated the processes by which the two post-training interventions might lead to better transfer of trained skills by examining the effects of trainee self-efficacy, motivation, and characteristics of the work environment within a comprehensive transfer of training framework. A transfer of training model incorporating various motivational and contextual variables was developed. This research evaluated five training programs in two different organizations; a total sample of 437 employees. The findings indicate that goal-setting training was an efficient and cost effective means of improving the extent to which trainees applied their skills to the job, especially when trainees worked in an environment that supported and valued training and development activities. Trainee self-efficacy, transfer of training climate, continuous learning culture, training performance, and in some instances motivation, emerged as significant predictors of both maintenance and generalization of trained skills. Implications for training research and human resource practices are discussed.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD