Perceptions of Burden in Needs Assessment: An Exploration of Measurement Creation and Validation

Needs assessment is a valuable tool in the instructional designer and performance improvement practitioner toolbox. However, it is often avoided due to perceived burdens associated with the needs assessment process. The current research explores needs assessment participants’ perceptions of four proposed components of burden, including: 1) duties, obligations, and responsibilities; 2) cost; 3) needs assessment facilitator skills; and 4) needs assessment facilitator systemic sensitivities. The researcher also developed and tested a Perceived Burden for Needs Assessment Participants Survey (PBNAPS) as a potentially reliable and valid measure of this phenomena. The PBNAPS proved to be both internally consistent (a= 0.86) and applicable across organizational contexts, constituent types, and lengths of affiliation. The majority of participants reported low levels of perceived burden (M = 2.97, SD = 0.88), suggesting that perceived burden in needs assessment is not as high as anticipated. Finally, an exploratory factor analysis yielded 1) a four-component model accounting for 52.27% of the variation on the concept of perceived burden, and 2) several implications for practitioners and future iterations of the PBNAPS