The role of employee reactions in predicting training effectiveness

Reactions to training programs tend to be poor predictors of training success, yet most training programs are evaluated based solely on trainee reactions. In this study, we proposed that distinguishing between affective and cognitive employee reactions may improve the prediction of trainee learning. Our results indicated that cognitive employee reactions are related to both employee learning and employee behavior. Moreover, contrary to popular notion, negative affective reactions best predicted employee learning. Implications and future research directions of the results are discussed.