Toward construct validation of a transfer climate instrument

Despite general acknowledgment of the difficulty in transferring learning, no validated and generally accepted instrument exists to measure factors believed to affect its transfer. Rouiller and Goldstein (1993) developed an eight‐factor structure for a transfer climate instrument but could not validate the structure because their sample size was inadequate. This study attempted to validate their hypothesized constructs using factor analysis and found a substantially different factor structure, suggesting a different direction for future transfer climate instrument research. The results suggest that trainees perceive climate according to referents in the organization rather than according to psychological cues, as Rouiller and Goldstein proposed. Consequently, a transfer climate instrument incorporating additional constructs was analyzed. The resulting nine‐factor solution suggested additional constructs and indicated that transfer climate was perceived according to organizational referents.