Measuring the Transfer of Training

This study examined the use of self-report to measure training transfer by comparing three training transfer assessment methods. Applying a framework provided by instructional alignment theory, the study tested the hypothesis that if training transfer is measured by assessment methods that vary in their degree of alignment with the post-training learning assessment, the training transfer scores would be higher as the degree of alignment increased. Instructional alignment is the extent to which stimulus conditions match across instructional components: intended outcomes, instructional processes, and assessment. Three training transfer assessments were administered to 40 telecommunications technicians approximately 60 days after they completed a training course. The moan transfer score for the job performance assessment with high alignment was significantly higher than the two self-report assessments of moderate and low alignment with effect size differences of 0.96 (p < .01) and 0.87 (p < .01), respectively. The mean scores for the two self-report assessments did not significantly differ. This study has implications for the extensive use of self-report to assess training transfer in both research and training evaluation programs.