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THE TRANSFER OF TRAINING PROCESS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Master thesis, MSc Human Resource Management University of Groningen, Faculty of Economics and Business

31 August 2010

THEODORA MARIEKE BOSMAN Student number: 1529994 Dalsteindreef 194 1102 WX Amsterdam Tel: +31 (0)6 15293811 E-mail: T.M.Bosman@student.rug.nl Supervisor / University B.J.M. Emans J. van Polen

Supervisor / Field of study B.S. Emans

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ... 4 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ... 6 2.1 Transfer climate ... 7 2.2 Training design ... 8 2.3 Trainee characteristics ... 9 2.4 Training outcomes ... 11 3. METHOD... 12 3.1 Training ... 12 3.2 Participants ... 13 3.3 Procedure ... 14 3.4 Data analyses ... 16 4. RESULTS... 17

4.1 Transfer of training factors ... 17

4.2 Transfer climate ... 19 4.3 Training design ... 24 4.4 Trainee characteristics ... 27 4.5 Training outcomes ... 30 5. DISCUSSION ... 36 5.1 Theoretical implications ... 36 5.2 Practical Implications ... 39 5.3 Conclusion ... 40

5.4 Limitations and future research ... 41

6.REFERENCES ... 42

APPENDIX A: Interview Schedule... 46

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ABSTRACT

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1. INTRODUCTION

The advanced economy of the Netherlands is gradually becoming more knowledge-intensive, where economic growth and prosperity is increasingly based on a highly skilled labour force and innovative products, services and processes. A sustainable knowledge-intensive economy requires an excellent educational system (Tijssen, Hollanders, Leeuwen van, & Nederhof, 2008). Secondary education plays an important role within this educational system. There exist around 700 secondary education schools in the Netherlands, both publicly and privately run (Ministry of OCW, 2008). One million pupils attend secondary education. Besides that, taking into account all the employees working in the field of secondary education, direct family and other stakeholders, one out of five Dutch people have a direct interest in events happening in this sector. People often look at the education system when there is a need for structural solution for social problems (VO-raad, 2008). Outsiders have clear views, but the quality of secondary education is primarily a responsibility of the schools. In order to justify or strengthen their confidence, schools and the sector have the desire to give account of themselves (obligation of a school to account for its activities, and accept responsibility for them and to disclose the results in a transparent manner). ‘Vensters voor Verantwoording’, a project of the VO-raad, tries to help these schools. The VO-raad is the Dutch council for secondary education. The VO-raad represents the interests of all schools for secondary education and its governing boards in the Netherlands (VO-raad, 2010). ‘Vensters voor Verantwoording’, one of the current projects of the VO-raad, developed a set of quality standards. Schools can present themselves to stakeholders with a uniform basic set of quality standards. The objective of this project is that all schools in secondary education present themselves to their parents and pupils. This is called horizontal accountability. Horizontal accountability is a new phenomenon in the world of education, because only vertical accountability happened in the past; that means accountability to the Dutch Inspectorate of Education and the ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Within this project, schools present their performance and policy on the basis of twenty indicators and can compare themselves with other schools for secondary education. This is a large project with a significant impact on the education sector.

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experiment and therefore they would like to improve their performance and quality through coaching and training their employees. This will be achieved by training management as well as teachers. A specific training was selected that focuses mainly on personal development. To be sure that this training leads to desired work outcomes, it is important for the schools of secondary education to understand the transfer of training process. Transfer of training can be defined as ‘the degree to which trainees effectively apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained in the training context to the job’ (Baldwin & Ford, 1988). Research has investigated that there are a large number of factors that affect the transfer of training back to the workplace. As will be elaborated below, the extant literature has identified three main determinants of training transfer: transfer climate, training design, and trainee characteristics. Research of the transfer of training process took place in a variety of settings, but never in the education sector. This is exactly what has been done in this study; it investigated which factors were the most important for secondary education to get the best results out of the training. The following research question was formulated:

“To what extent do transfer climate, training design, and trainee characteristics influence the transfer of training process of the personal development training, which is followed by

management and teachers of two schools for secondary education?”

The focus of this study is a personal development training followed by management and teachers of two school of secondary education. It is a training for development of employee attitudes and behaviours. Organizational commitment and job satisfaction are related to that. Besides that, according to Firestone & Pennell (1993), organizational commitment and job satisfaction of teachers is critical to school effectiveness and school improvement. Thus, the expectation is that the transfer of training process will have a positive influence on the training outcomes: organizational commitment and job satisfaction. The second research question was formulated:

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2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

In today’s society, workforce training is increasingly important. Organizations spend a lot of time and money on training to facilitate employees’ learning of job-related competencies (Kirwan & Birchall, 2006). As a result of these investments in training, it is important to provide evidence that training efforts are being completely realised. To be sure that training leads to desired work outcomes, it is important for organizations to understand the transfer of training process. Baldwin & Ford (1988) define transfer of training as ‘the degree to which trainees effectively apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained in the training context to the job’. Transfer of training is more than learning in a training program. Before transfer of training will occur, learned behaviour must be generalized to the job context and maintained over a period of time on the job (Baldwin & Ford, 1988).

Research in a variety of settings has identified a large number of factors that affect the transfer of training back to the workplace. The current literature (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Tracey, Tannenbaum, & Kavanagh, 1995) has identified three main determinants of training transfer: transfer climate, training design and trainee characteristics. This is presented in a research model (see figure 1). The model shows that several factors affect transfer of training. As can be seen, the expectation is that transfer of training will have a relation with the training outcomes. The following section provides an overview of the literature regarding to trainee characteristics, training design, and transfer climate and their influence on transfer of training. Furthermore, it examines the training outcomes; job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

FIGURE 1

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2.1 Transfer climate

Transfer climate refers to ‘trainees’ perceptions of a wide variety of characteristics of the work environment that influence the use of training content on the job’. These characteristics may inhibit, reduce, or promote training transfer. It has been proved to have a powerful impact on the extent to which employees used trained knowledge and skills in the workplace (Tracey et al., 1995). A number of studies showed that transfer climate factors are important for understanding the transfer of training process (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Tracey et al., 1995; Lim & Morris, 2006; Velada et al., 2007). These studies also indicated that when employees perceive that the transfer climate is supportive they are more likely to apply their new knowledge in the work environment (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Tracey et al., 1995). Factors that can provide a supportive transfer climate include performance feedback, supervisor support, peer support, and opportunity to use.

Performance feedback. Performance feedback includes an indication from management about how well one is performing his or her job (Holton, Bates, & Ruona, 2000). Specifically, feedback regarding the newly learned knowledge and skills and how these relate to job performance increases the likelihood of its transfer to the work context (Reber & Wallin, 1984). The findings from Velada et al. (2007) indicated that performance feedback was significantly related to transfer of training over time.

Supervisor support. Supervisor support can be described as ‘the extent to which supervisors support and reinforce the use of newly learned knowledge and skills on the job’ (Holton et al., 2000). The literature suggests that when trainees perceive that their supervisors support the application of newly learned knowledge and skills, they are more likely to transfer these competences back to the job (Noe, 1986; Tracey & Tews, 2005). Support from supervisors has therefore been suggested to be one of the most powerful tools of enhancing transfer of training (Baldwin & Ford, 1988).

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2005). Thus, the more positive the interactions, the more likely that trainees will demonstrate trained behaviours and skills.

Opportunity to use. The opportunities to use training on the job have been defined as ‘the extent to which a trainee is provided with or actively obtains work experiences relevant to the tasks for which he or she was trained’. Thus, the opportunity to use focuses on all the work experiences obtained by a trainee after training. The opportunity to use is not simply a function of the assignment of tasks by a supervisor to the trainee. It also includes the active efforts of trainees to obtain work experiences relevant to the tasks for which they were trained (Ford et al., 1992). The opportunity to use knowledge and skills immediately to trainees’ job has been repeatedly emphasized in several studies; when trainees lack the opportunity to use what they have learned in training, it is unlikely that a high degree of transfer will occur (Ford et al., 1992; Lim, 2000).

Besides the relationships in the research model in figure 1, research has indicated that other important relationships exist between the determinants of transfer. A study of Seyler, Holton, Bates, Burnett, & Carvalho (1998) has shown that the perceived opportunity to use enhances trainees’ motivation to learn.

2.2 Training design

Numerous researchers have studied the influence of training design factors on training transfer because it is believed to be one of the most important constructs affecting training transfer (Brinkerhoff & Gill, 1992; Tracey & Tews, 1995). Training design is fundamental to training programs and refers to ‘a systematic approach for developing training programs’ (Noe, 2002). Training programs should be designed in such a way that the likelihood of transfer will increase. Training design would have an effect on learning and therefore it plays an important role in training effectiveness (Namasivayam, Conklin, & Zhao, 2005). A thorough review of the training transfer literature has suggested that at least two categories of training design constructs exist: content and instructional methods (Lim & Morris, 2006).

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enough for the content of training to have a job-related relevancy. Another important factor for the content of training is the combination of theory and practice, thus the emphasis on both theoretical and practical aspects. Besides that, the combination of knowledge and skills is a requirement, thus the acquisition of both (Gauld & Miller, 2004). In addition, according to Baldwin & Ford (1988), transfer of training is maximised when trainees are taught the general rules and theoretical principles that underlie the training content.

Instructional methods. Below, the following elements of instructional methods will be discussed; method variety, example variety, identical-elements, over-learning, and active learning. First of all the method variety, Garavaglia (1993) has indicated that the use of several instructional methods would increase the transfer of training on the job. Another important element is example variety. The use of different examples in a variety of settings would promote better learning during the training (Garavaglia, 1993) and a greater satisfaction with the training process (Bretz & Thompsett, 1992). Thirdly, ‘identical-elements’ is another element of instructional methods. Baldwin & Ford (1988) have established that transfer of training is maximised when there are identical stimulus and response elements in the training and work environment. In addition, over-learning is another element to mention. It refers to ‘deliberate training and practise beyond a set criterion performance’ (Russ-Eft, 2002), and consists of continuing practise beyond a first successful attempt of mastering training content (Machin & Fogarty, 2003). Learning and practising beyond this point seemed to promote the retention of trainees’ learning after the training. Finally, active learning as opposed to passive learning is also an important factor for the transfer of training process. Active learning is characterized by application of theory to real-life situations in a dynamic manner (Paul & Mukhopadhyay, 2005). A form of active learning is experience-based learning. A key element of experience-based learning is that learners analyse their experience by reflecting, evaluating and reconstructing it in order to draw meaning from it in the light of prior experience (Andresen, Boud, & Cohen, 1995). Research of Turner, Keegan, and Crawford (2000) reported that experience-based learning is a key contributor to the competence development of individuals and organizations.

2.3 Trainee characteristics

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referred to as trainees’ trainability, which implies that transfer will only take place to the extent that trainees are able and willing to use new knowledge and skills on the job (Noe, 1986). Outcomes of a number of studies showed that there are several individual characteristics that affect the transfer of training process (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Velada, Caetano, Michel, Lyons, & Kavanagh, 2007). In this study the following trainee characteristics that affect the transfer of training process will be discussed: motivation to learn, age, and locus of control.

Motivation to learn. Motivation to learn can be described as ‘a specific desire of the trainee to learn the content of the training program’ (Noe, 1986). Research provides evidence that there are differences in the amount of motivation to learn among different trainees, and that it relates to the success of trainees in the training program (Scaduto, Lindsay, & Chiaburu, 2008). Furthermore, trainees with higher motivation to learn demonstrated greater learning, more positive reactions to training (Tannenbaum & Yukl, 1992) and were positively related to training outcomes (Baldwin, Magjuka, & Loher, 1991). Additionally, another study (Noe, 1986) has investigated that motivation to learn is related to enthusiasm, perseverance to learn, and the opportunity to use.

Besides that, there exists another relationship that is not shown in figure 1. On the one hand, it has been explored that motivation to learn is positively influenced by the training design, for example the extent to which trainees can influence the mode of instruction (Baldwin et al., 1991). On the other hand, it has been explored that motivation to learn is positively influenced by the transfer climate, for example the extent to which the transfer climate supports the opportunity to use (Laker, 1990).

Age. Gist, Rosen, & Schwoerer (1988) have provided evidence of a negative relationship between age and learning. It has also been reported that age is negatively related to participation in training and development programs (Colquitt, LePine, & Noe, 2000). For example, McEnrue (1989) found that younger employees were more willing to engage in self-development programs than older employees were. In addition, age stereotypes suggest that older employees lack both the motivation and capacity to take advantage of training opportunities (Gist et al., 1988). Further, older employees are sometimes perceived to be slower, less creative, less flexible, more resistant to change, and disinterested in training (Maurer & Weiss, 2009) when compared to their younger colleagues.

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Locus of control. Locus of control refers to ‘an individual's tendency to attribute control over his or her outcomes either to himself or herself or the environment’ (Rotter, 1966). Individuals who are ‘internals’ believe that job performance and events that occur in the work setting are contingent on their own behaviour and are, therefore, under personal control. ‘Externals’ believe that work outcomes are beyond personal control and, therefore, attribute the cause for work outcomes to luck, fate, or the actions of others (Noe, 1986). Logically, persons with an internal locus of control are more likely to believe that they can improve their skills and performance by putting effort in training (Holton, 2005).

Besides that, there is a relationship between two trainee characteristics. Colquitt et al. (2000) have investigated that there was a strong relationship between locus of control and motivation to learn. It indicates that people with an internal locus of control tended to display higher motivation levels. It is also mentioned that ‘internals’ are more likely to act upon performance feedback regarding their skill strengths and weaknesses than ‘externals’ (Noe, 1986).

To conclude, there are a large number of factors that affect the transfer of training process. As can be seen above, the extant literature has identified three main determinants of training transfer; the transfer climate (performance feedback, peer support, supervisor support, opportunity to use), training design (content of training, instructional methods), and trainee characteristics (motivation to learn, age, locus of control). Besides that, other important relationships between the determinants of training transfer that were not shown in figure 1 have been discussed in the text above. For example, motivation to learn is positively influenced by the training design factors.

2.4 Training outcomes

As can be seen above, the expectation of the training is that it will have a positive influence on organizational commitment and will lead to higher levels of job satisfaction. Organizational commitment and job satisfaction of teachers is critical to school effectiveness and school improvement (Firestone & Pennell, 1993). Higher levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction result in more job effort and that will lead to an increased job performance. On the other hand, lower levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction result in more staff turnover and absenteeism (Dee, Henkin, & Singleton, 2006).

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Organizational commitment. Meyer and Allen (1991) developed a three-component model of commitment. Common to the three approaches is the view that commitment is a psychological state that characterizes the employee’s relationship with the organization and has implications for the decision to continue or discontinue membership in the organization. Beyond this, however, the nature of the psychological state for each form of commitment is quite different. Affective commitment refers to the employee’s emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization. Employees with a strong affective commitment continue employment with the organization because they want to do so. Continuance commitment refers to an awareness of the costs associated with leaving the organization. Employees whose primary link to the organization is based on continuance commitment remain because they need to do so. Finally, normative commitment reflects the feeling of obligation to continue employment. Employees with a higher level of normative commitment feel that they ought to remain with the organization.

3. METHOD

3.1 Training

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behaviour came up. Participants were encouraged to think about their own behaviour and about the advantages it could gain if they act from certain behaviour. The final subject of the training was the differences between the roles people play in everyday life: commentator, spectator, player, or coach. Player and coach two were characterized by an active and initiating attitude. The difference between the two-days and three-days of training is that the subjects ‘victim role/responsible role’, ‘certain and uncertain behaviour’ and ‘roles in everyday life’ gained more in-depth knowledge during the three-day training.

For all the subjects of the training, the trainer made use of the personal experience of the participants, mainly work-related issues. Experience was reflected by the other participants and the trainer. Furthermore, input from the trainings group and active learning situations were used. For example: role-playing, flip-chart, hand-outs, and energetic presentations by the trainer.

3.2 Participants

This study is twofold, it consist of interviews and questionnaires. Therefore, a distinction is made in the discussion of the participants. First of all, the interviews will be discussed. Seventeen out of forty-six trainee participants were interviewed. Six out of twelve management team members who attended the training were interviewed. The management team members had a variety of positions, such as a member of the board of directors, a member of the school management, and a team manager. Of the interviewees, eleven (out of twenty-four participants who attended the training) were teachers who teach a variety of subjects. Nine interviewees were men, eight were women. The interviewees of school X had been in their current position for an average of 18 years, with a range of 4-35. At school Y, the average length of service was 7 years, with a range of 3-19. The average age of the interviewees was in line with the average length of service. Therefore, at school X the average age is approximately fifteen year higher than at school Y. See paragraph 4.4.2 for the distribution of the age categories.

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questionnaire with the posttest questionnaire. Therefore the answers of these three respondents were only used for the questions related to the training.

3.3 Procedure

This study was conducted in two schools of secondary education in the Netherlands. Two types of research were used: qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method was used to understand the factors that were modifying for the transfer of training to the work practice, thus it enables an exploration of in-depth perspectives of the trainees on the application of the learning (Sofo, 2007). Besides the interviews, a quantitative method was used; therefore data for the structured questionnaires were administered, which tested the respondents on their training outcomes (second research question); organizational commitment, job satisfactions, and questions related to the training.

Interviews. The interviews were conducted on the work floor of the two secondary education schools. Beforehand, an interview schedule was made (see appendix A), which ensured that each interview was standardized as much as possible. The interview started with a general question about the training. With this, the factors that were modifying for the transfer of training to the work floor were discovered. The interviewees can give answers, about which factors played a role in successful application of the training subjects, but also which factors had an impedingly effect, without a guideline of the direction of the interviewer. After that, the determinants of each transfer factor (except for age and locus of control) were systematic asked with four to six directed questions, whereby a distinction was made between the presence of each factor on the work floor and the extent to which the interviewees expect that each factors was beneficial for transfer. These questions above will give an answer on the first research question.

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Because of its sensitivity, this factor was kept for the end of the interview. The focus of this characteristic was on the motivation the interviewees had before they attend the training.

At the end of the interview, the interviewees were also asked about the improvement of their results on the job through the training, meaning that with this question a part of the second research question was answered.

All the interviews were recorded on tape, which ensured that during the interview full attention was given to the answers of the questions of the interviewees. The interview schedule was used to analyse the interviews. First of all, the interviews were listened again, and the answers per interviewee were worked out. For the yes-or-no questions a scale from 1 to 10 was used. The number of people mentioned a factor can be counted using this score. Then, an overview per subject was made for all the interviewees of school X and for school Y. For example, an overview about the content of training, whereby a distinction was made for the four factors that belong to this subject. These overviews were translated to tables, as can be seen below in the result section.

Questionnaire. Two weeks before the teachers and management attended the training and

two weeks after the training a questionnaire was administered. A paper version was handed

out, and there were several reminders by e-mail for the respondents. A digital version was added to these reminder e-mails to be sure that enough questionnaires were handed in. Teachers and management who have followed the training filled in the questionnaire, as well as teachers who have not followed the training (control group). The questionnaire started with some general questions, because this provided material to link the pretest questionnaire with the posttest questionnaire of the same respondent. After that, questions were asked to test organizational commitment and job satisfaction before and after the training among the employees of two secondary education schools. To the post-test questionnaire extra questions were added (not for control group) in relation to the results of the training and the transfer climate factors. The subjects of the questions were determined after some consideration with the stakeholders. Although the results of the interviews were the most important for this study, quantitative data was used to collect supported obviousness about the transfer factors, meaning that a larger group than the interviewees can give their opinion about the training outcomes and the transfer of climate factors. Therefore, these questions related to the training have given answers to both research questions. An overview of the questions (in Dutch) can be found in appendix B.

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sample item is ‘I like my job better than the average worker does’ (Curry et al., 1986). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the items of the pretest and posttest were .832 and .767 respectively, which means that the six items for job satisfaction were combined into a mean score.

Organizational commitment. The measurement of organizational commitment was divided into three approaches for commitment; affective, continuance and normative respectively. These three approaches all consisted of six items based on a Likert-type scale of 1-5, with 1 indicating strongly disagree and 5 indicating strongly agree. A sample item of affective commitment is ‘I really feel as if this organization's problems are my own’ (Meyer, Allen, and Smith, 1993). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the pretest of affective, continuance, and normative commitment were .815, .844 and .688 respectively. In the posttest, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .819, .765, .694 respectively. This means that the items for the approaches of commitment were combined into a mean score.

3.4 Data analyses

Qualitative data generated through interviews were ranked in themes based on the theoretical framework above. The process of coding was used to make a clear comparison of the interview results. This means that themes were categorized and organized in a simple way.

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4. RESULTS

In this section the results of the interviews and of the questionnaire will be discussed. First, the results of the interviews will be discussed. This section will start with the results of the general question about the modifying factors for the transfer of training to the workplace, which was asked in the beginning of the interview. After that, the extent to which the determinants of the transfer of training have contributed to the application to the job were discussed below. This is done in the same order as in the theoretical framework. The final part consists of the results of the questionnaire and contains the right-hand side of the research model (figure 1), namely the training outcomes.

4.1 Transfer of training factors

First of all, the interviewees were asked what in their view the factors were for successful and non-successful application of the training subjects to the work practice. An overview can be found in table 1.

TABLE 1

Modifying Factors for the Transfer of Training according to the Interviewees.

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Successful factors

Trainer 4 3 4 3 14

Awareness of own and other 3 3 6 0 12

Group / atmosphere 3 2 2 3 10

Increase of confidence 0 1 0 0 1

Useful in difficult situations 1 0 0 0 1

No common education training 0 1 0 0 1

Role-playing 2 1 3 1 7

Combination theory + practice 0 0 1 2 3

Content of the training 0 0 1 0 1

Experience-based learning 0 0 1 0 1

Non-successful factors

No attendance of whole school 4 3 2 1 10

Repetition of exercises 1 1 1 0 3

Prohibition to talk about training

1 0 0 0 1

Difficulty of recognition styles 0 0 1 0 1

Whole day indoors 0 0 0 1 1

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4.1.1 Successful factors. Table 1 shows that the most important factor for successful application of the newly learned behaviour and skills was the trainer; fourteen out of seventeen interviewees mentioned this factor. Examples of explanations of this factor were: ‘The trainer was excellent, he tackled us about our behaviour, and this was clear and useful,’ ‘The explanation of the trainer was good, obvious, and involved with his work, this helps us to apply the training subjects,’ ‘The trainer wanted to get everybody involved in the training’, ‘The trainer pointed out our shortcomings without hurting our feelings,’ and ‘He was inviting; gave us the feeling that we could show ourselves.’

Another often mentioned factor was the awareness of their own and others, twelve out of seventeen interviewees said that. Interviewees gave the following arguments: ‘Through the training I have more awareness of my own position in the organization,’ and ‘The way I look to myself, is helpful in communication with other people,’ as well as ‘Now, I understand the problems of others,’ and ‘Through the awareness, I am able to address issues better, and thus open myself more to others.’

Group and the atmosphere of the group was also a successful factor that has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the workplace. Noticeable is the fact that managers and teachers who mentioned this factor, had totally opposing arguments. The management team members said: ‘It creates openness when you are only with five or six persons’ and ‘Only with management team members was fine and positive.’ The teachers on the other hand mentioned that the combination of two schools had an added value. One of the interviewees said: ‘Through the combination of two schools in the training, you become aware that your own situation is not that disastrous.’

Seven out of seventeen interviewees mentioned that role-playing was a helpful activity for successful application of the learned subject to the job. Interviewees said that ‘Role-playing was a valuable experience’ and ‘Role-playing was a forced exercise, but it helps for the recognition at the work floor.’

Combination of theory and practice was pointed out by three of the seventeen interviewees as a successful factor. One of the interviewees said: ‘Explanation of theory was useful, because we got tools that I can use,’ and ‘The examples and exercises were helpful because they were work-related.’

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They see this factor as a non-successful for the application of the training subjects to the work practice. They think that it would be better for the application and for the improvement of school results if all the employees of the school attend the training. One of them said: ‘The possibility exists when not everybody of the organization attends the training, the training subjects will not be the discussion of the day, and finally that will not lead to application.’

Another factor that they did not like was the repetition of the exercises. They had to practise the same exercises multiple times and this leads to irritation and boredom. But on the other hand they said: ‘Through a lot of repetition, I made myself familiar with the training subjects.’

4.2 Transfer climate

As can be read in the theoretical framework, transfer climate consists of the following factors; performance feedback, supervisor support, peer support, and opportunity to use. For each factor, the extent of contribution to application will be discussed first, thereafter it can be seen if the factors were available at both schools. Also, some additional comments for supervisor support, peer support, and opportunity to use were made.

4.2.1 Performance feedback.

4.2.1.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that performance feedback is beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 2, eight interviewees expect that it will have a beneficial effect on the application of the newly learned subjects when someone gives you performance feedback. Arguments for this positive effect were: stimulation, recognition, and it helps to apply behaviour and skills the next time again.

TABLE 2

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that Performance Feedback is Beneficial for Transfer

4.2.1.2 The presence of performance feedback on the work floor. Besides that, the presence of performance feedback was asked and is shown in table 3. Three out of seventeen interviewees

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

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have had performance feedback during the first week after the training. For example, one of them got the feedback ‘what did you remain calm.’ Remarkable is the fact that of the three interviewees who said that they have received feedback, two of them were management team members. At both secondary education schools, most of them agreed that they have received some feedback from someone in the organization in an informal matter, mostly jokes about applying their newly learned skills.

TABEL 3

The Presence of Performance Feedback on the Work Floor

4.2.2 Supervisor support.

4.2.2.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that supervisor support is beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 4, four out of six interviewees mentioned that they think that supervisor support has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the work practice. Reasons for this contribution were: ‘If your supervisor is enthusiastic, you will adopt it earlier’ and ‘Talking about what you have learnt with your supervisor, is helpful.’ Two interviewees did not think that supervisor support has contributed to the application to the work practice, one of them said: ‘I have not done more, after speaking with my supervisor, I do not think it will make a difference.’

TABLE 4

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that Supervisor Support is Beneficial for Transfer

4.2.2.2 The presence of supervisor support on the work floor. Besides that, a difference was made between the presence of support from the supervisor and if they have talked with their supervisor about application As shown in table 5, eight interviewees experienced support

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of performance feedback Yes 1 1 1 0 3 Neutral 1 0 0 0 1 No 3 2 5 3 13 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

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from their supervisor after the training. Several responses to this question were that some are still hoping for a short meeting, while others found it really a shame that it did not happen. One of them said: ‘If it takes too long, I will take action by myself.’

TABEL 5

The Presence of Supervisor Support on the Work Floor

4.2.2.3 Additional information; talking about application with supervisor. Of the eight interviewees who received support from their supervisor, only five said (see table 6) that they have talked about applying the newly learned behaviours and skills; one of them has requested a meeting by herself. Reactions of interviewees who did not talk about applying newly learned subjects were diverse, namely: ‘It will happen in a few weeks,’ as well as ‘Talking about it would be pleasant,’ and ‘My supervisor asked me only about my experiences of the training,’ and ‘It would be good to write a piece of paper about application,’ and ‘It would help if it can be planned consciously to talk about application.’

TABEL 6

The Number of People who have talked about Application with Supervisor

4.2.3 Peer support.

4.2.3.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that peer support is beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 7, eight out of seventeen interviewees mentioned that they think that peer support has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the work practice. For example, one of the interviewees said ‘Nothing is as powerful and stimulating as an experience of a colleague.’ Other reasons for the contribution to application called through the interviewees were: solidity of team, communication in team, remembrance of the training, exchange of experiences, recognition, and stimulation to keep using it.

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of supervisor support Yes 2 1 3 2 8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 No 3 2 3 1 9 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

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TABLE 7

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that Peer Support is Beneficial for Transfer

4.2.3.2 The presence of peer support on the work floor. Besides that, a difference was made between the presence of support from their peers and if they have talked with their peers about application. Table 8 shows that twelve interviewees experienced support from their peers after the training, while one interviewee was neutral and four interviewees mentioned that they have not received peer support after the training. One of the interviewees who have not received peer support said, ‘I think it is not necessary to perform well’.

TABEL 8

The Presence of Peer Support on the Work Floor

4.2.3.3 Additional information; talking about application with peers. Furthermore, as can be seen in table 9, fourteen interviewees talked with their peers about application of the subjects of the training. Most of the interviewees indicated that they received the most support from peers who also attended the training and this support occurs mainly in the informal matter, namely in the form of jokes. Most of them pointed out that it would be good if it not remains to a corridor chat, but must extend to a standing item in a meeting.

TABEL 9

The Number of People who have talked about Application with Peers

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Contribution of peer support by application Yes 1 3 2 2 8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 No 0 0 0 0 0 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of peer support Yes 4 2 4 2 12 Neutral 1 0 0 0 1 No 0 1 2 1 4 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

(23)

4.2.4 Opportunity to use.

4.2.4.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that opportunity to use is beneficial for transfer. Although in the interview the interviewees were not asked whether they think that the opportunity to use has contributed to the application of the newly learned subjects. As can be seen in table 10, the results of the interviews show that all the interviewees were very positive about the opportunity to use.

4.2.4.2 The presence of opportunity to use on the work floor. All of interviewees agreed that they could use the newly learned knowledge and skills directly after the training, particularly the communication styles. One of them said: ‘I could apply it more to colleagues than to pupils.’ In general, the interviewees agreed that they could use it for colleagues, parents as well as for their pupils.

TABLE 10

The Presence of Opportunity to Use on the Work Floor

4.2.4.3 Additional information; the availability of materials and time. Besides that, the questions were asked whether the interviewees have all the materials and time they need for the application of the newly learned subjects. An overview can be seen in table 11.

Availability of materials. All the interviewees agreed that they possess all the materials for applying the newly learned knowledge and skills. Most of the interviewees mentioned that ‘You do not need anything for application.’ Some of them mentioned that they always have the folder from the training to look back on the discussed subjects.

Availability of time. Ten interviewees said that they have enough time for application of the subjects. Some of the interviewees said that they have to find the time for applying it because it would be a shame if they lose their newly learned knowledge and skills. ‘Applying or using the subjects is their own responsibility’, said one of them. Another interviewee said: ‘I will find the time for application next school year.’ Remarkable is the fact that all the management team members agreed that they have the time for it, while only four out of eleven teachers have given that answer.

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of opportunity to use

Yes 5 3 6 3 17

Neutral 0 0 0 0 0

(24)

TABLE 11

The Availability of Materials and Time

4.3 Training design

As can be read in the theoretical framework, two categories of training design constructs are: content of training and instructional methods. For both training design constructs, the extent of contribution will be discussed first. Thereafter, the presence of the factors will be discussed, whereby a distinction was made between the factors that belong to each construct.

4.3.1 Content of training.

4.3.1.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that the content of training is beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 12, fifteen out of seventeen interviewees mentioned that they think that the content of training has contributed to the application of the newly learned training subjects to the work practice. For example, one of the interviewees said: ‘It was beneficial for the communication with peers, now they talk easier, and some do not get a headache from a meeting anymore.’

TABLE 12

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that the Content of Training is Beneficial for Transfer

4.3.1.2 The presence of content of training factors on the work floor. In the theoretical framework there was made a difference of four factors that have influence on the transfer of training. Below, the presence of these four factors will be discussed.

Job-related relevance. As can be seen in table 13, fifteen interviewees answered that the training had a job-related relevance and this will have a contribution in the application of the

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Availability of materials Yes 5 3 5 3 16

No 0 0 1 0 1

Availability of time Yes 3 2 2 3 10

No 2 1 0 0 3

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

(25)

newly learned behaviour and skills. Reasons for this job-related relevance were: ‘You have to deal with it every day’ referred to communication, as well as ‘You have to deal with resistance everywhere,’ and ‘Through the training, I have a better understanding of my colleagues and pupils.’ Two out of seventeen pointed out that there was not a direct relationship with the work practice, but one of them said: ‘There was a relationship with my personality and this will have an effect on the whole organization as well.’

Combination of theory and practice. Combination of theory/practice was mentioned to a lesser degree, but still by seven interviewees. One of them said: ‘After theory many examples from the work practice were discussed, for example a teacher-parent conversation.’ On the other hand, one interviewee did not agree that this factor was part of the training; ‘We practise a lot of examples from the trainer, but it would be better when we could use our own cases.’

Combination of knowledge and skills. Five of the interviewees answered that the combination of knowledge and skills was an important training content factor for the transfer of training to the work practice. Interviewees mentioned: ‘After discussing the theory, we practise it through role-playing, and we adopt a role that is not yours, so can you experience it personally,’ and ‘In a conversation, I pay attention to myself and my position.’

(26)

TABLE 13

The Presence of the Content of Training Related Factors on the Work Floor

4.3.2 Instructional methods.

4.3.2.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that the instructional methods are beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 14, according to fourteen interviewees, the instructional methods (examples and activities) of the training have contributed to the application of the learned behaviours and skills. Work- and private related examples were useful. For example, one interviewee said: ‘I can recognise the situations, and through it I become more aware of it.’ On the other hand, private related examples were also mentioned as not helpful examples by others.

TABLE 14

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that the Instructional Methods are Beneficial for Transfer

4.3.2.2 The presence of instructional methods on the work floor. In the theoretical framework there was made a difference of five elements that have influence on the transfer of training. Below, the presence of these five elements will be discussed.

Active learning. As can be seen in table 15, thirteen interviewees mentioned that they think that active-learning has contributed the most to the application of the training subjects to the workplace. In the training, role-playing was used as an active activity. Interviewees said

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

1. Job-related relevance Yes No 4 1 2 1 6 0 3 0 15 2 2. Combination of

theory and practice Yes No 2 0 1 1 2 1 2 0 7 2 3. Combination of knowledge and skills Yes No 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 4. Theoretical principles Yes No 5 0 3 0 6 0 3 0 17 0 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

(27)

that this activity was helpful for the recognition and therefore for application to the job. Reasons for the helpfulness of role-playing were: ‘By experiencing the various communication styles, you know how others look at you’ and ‘Place oneself in someone else’s position.’

Example variety. Example variety was pointed out by ten interviewees as a beneficial transfer factor. A distinction was made between work-related examples and private-related examples. These examples were helpful because of the visualization of understandable cases, for example about the children of the trainer. One of the interviewees said: ‘the trainer has been through a lot, (active life) with that he could give a variety of examples.’ Other reasons for the usefulness of examples were: ‘Examples of the trainer ensured that people wanted to go further than they were used to’ and ‘Examples of the trainer ensured that you will think about it again.’

Method variety and over-learning. Method variety and over-learning were mentioned two and three times respectively. One of the interviewees said about method variety in the training ‘Right things were at the right time.’ Over-learning was noticed as repetition of primarily the communication styles. The interviewees thought that repetition was irritating, but they also recognise that ‘Through repetition I make myself familiar with it.’

Identical elements. None of the interviewees mentioned that identical elements in the training and at the workplace were available.

TABLE 15

The Presence of the Five Elements of Instructional Methods on the Work Floor

4.4 Trainee characteristics

The trainee characteristics investigated in this research were motivation to learn, age, and locus of control. The extent to which motivation to learn has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the work practice and if the interviewees were motivated to learn (presence), will be discussed below. Thereafter, age and locus of control were analysed.

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

1. Active-learning 5 3 3 2 13

2. Example variety 3 1 3 3 10

3. Method variety 0 1 2 0 3

4. Over-learning 0 1 1 0 2

(28)

4.4.1 Motivation to learn.

4.4.1.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that motivation to learn is beneficial for transfer. As can be seen in table 16, eleven interviewees mentioned that they think that their motivation has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the work practice. For example, one of the interviewees said: ‘If you are open for learning new things, you will pick it up earlier.’ Other quotes that were mentioned are: ‘If you are motivated, this will help you with application,’ as well as ‘if you are motivated, you will always see things that you can use,’ and ‘Yes, it played a role to the application because it is an extra stimulus.’ Besides that, three of the seventeen interviewees answered that their motivation has played a neutral role in the application of the newly learned behaviour and skills. One of the interviewees added to that: ‘The training crossed my path, and you never know what will come out of it.’ Three interviewees did not think that their motivation has contributed to the application of the training subjects to the job. One of the interviewees with this view was also not motivated to attend the training, he said: ‘It felt like an obligation, because I have not reached a high enough communication level and therefore I had to go to a communication course.’

TABLE 16

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that Motivation to Learn is Beneficial for Transfer

4.4.1.2 The presence of motivation to learn on the work floor. As can be seen in table 17, fifteen out of seventeen interviewees were motivated to learn the training subjects, thus two teachers were not motivated or neutral. Frequently mentioned arguments for their motivation were: responsibility for the organization, curiosity, openness, and inquisitiveness.

TABLE 17

The Presence of Motivation to Learn on the Work Floor

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Contribution of motivation to learn by application Yes 4 2 3 2 11 Neutral 1 0 1 1 3 No 0 1 2 0 3 School X School Y Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of motivation to learn

Positive 4 3 5 3 15

Neutral 1 0 0 0 1

(29)

4.4.2 Age.

4.4.2.1 The extent to which age was beneficial for transfer. Although in the interview the interviewees were not asked whether they think that their age has contributed to the application of the newly learned subjects, the interview results indicated the two interviewees who said that they were not motivated to attend the training, were both teachers and fall into the category 45-54 years. Further, from the eight interviewees who said that they have received supervisor support, five of them belong to the category 25-34 years, and three of them belong to the last two categories. In addition, from the twelve interviewees who have received peer support, six of them were from the category 25-34, and six of them belong to the oldest employees.

4.4.2.2 The ages of the interviewees. As can be seen in table 18, at school X, three interviewees belong to the category 25-34 years, one interviewee belongs to the category 45-54 year, and four interviewees belong to the category 55+ years. At school Y, five interviewees belong to the category 25-34 and four interviewees belong to the category 45-54 years. At school X as well as at school Y, the management team members belong to the category with the oldest people.

TABLE 18

The Ages of the Interviewees

4.4.3 Locus of Control.

4.4.3.1 The extent to which locus of control was beneficial for transfer. Although in the interview the interviewees were not asked whether they think that their locus of control has contributed to the application of the newly learned subjects, the interview results indicated that of the three people who have an external locus of control, two of them were not motivated to learn.

4.4.3.2 The presence of locus of control on the work floor. As can be seen in table 19, fourteen out of seventeen interviewees have an internal locus of control. The distribution of the internal

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

< 25 year 0 0 0 0 0

25-34 year 3 0 5 0 8

35-44 year 0 0 0 0 0

45-54 year 1 0 1 3 5

(30)

and external locus of control is approximately the same at both schools. Besides that, all management team members are persons with an internal locus of control, while eight out of eleven teachers have an internal locus of control.

TABLE 19

The Presence of Intern and Extern Locus of Control on the Work Floor

4.5 Training outcomes

At the interviews the interviewees were asked if the training has contributed to the improvement of their results in the work practice. This will be discussed first. After that, the analysis of the data from the questionnaire will be discussed.

4.5.1 Interview results.

4.5.1.1 The extent to which the interviewees expect that the training was beneficial for improvements of the results on the work floor. At the end of the interview, the interviewees were asked whether they thought that the training was helpful to improve their results in the work practice and what the improved results were. As can be seen in table 20, eleven interviewees have the opinion that the training has contributed to the improvement of their results in the work practice. Five of the interviewees were neutral when we talk about their improvement in the work practice. Reasons that were mentioned were: ‘I think it will help, but time is running out’, or ‘I do not know, but you never know if it is useful,’ as well as ‘Although time is running out, the relationships between colleagues will improve in a short time; more openness,’ and ‘I cannot say it, but the possibilities are provided.’

TABLE 20

The Extent to which the Interviewees Expect that the Training was Beneficial for Improvement of the Results on the Work Floor

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Presence of intern locus of control

4 3 4 3 14

Presence of extern locus of control

1 0 2 0 3

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

(31)

4.5.1.2 The presence of the improved results on the work floor. In general, as can be seen in table 21, four improved results were mentioned by the interviewees. Five interviewees mentioned that they gained insight into pupils and colleagues. Explanations of this factor were: ´I am now aware of how people are. Before, I had never thought about it, and it was not obvious that people have different communication styles and therefore different reactions´ and ´I have a better understanding of my pupils, and that will affect my class results.´ Communication skills and accountability were mentioned by three interviewees as results that have improved after the training. Interviewees said about the communication skills as result of the training: ‘Own communication is easier, because unconscious subjects became conscious’ and ‘through the awareness of communication styles, I know what people mean earlier,’ and ‘now I can anticipate on it.’ Explanations for the awareness were that the interviewees became aware of their own and others, and a variety of situations. Additionally, they pointed out: ‘I feel more responsible for my own processes’ and ‘My role in the organization is the issue that I remembered the most.’

TABLE 21

The Presence of the Improved Results on the Work Floor

School X School Y

Total Teachers Management Teachers Management

Communication skills 1 0 1 1 3

(32)

4.5.2 Questionnaire results. In the text below, the results of the pretest and posttest questionnaire will be discussed. First of all, job satisfaction will be analysed, thereafter organizational commitment. Finally, questions related to the training will be considered, for which the post-test questionnaire answers of only the participants of the training were used.

4.5.2.1 Job satisfaction. In table 22, means and standard deviation for job satisfaction are presented. A distinction is made between the training group and control group. As shown in table 12, the mean of the total group is in the pretest and posttest 5.72. This is a score above the middle of the scale, which means that the employees of the two secondary schools are satisfied with their work. The standard deviation for job satisfaction is around .70, which indicates the degree of variation.

TABLE 22

Means and Standard Deviations for Job Satisfaction

As can be seen in table 22, in the pretest, the mean of the training group was slightly lower as that of the control group. In the posttest, the control group has a slightly lower score than the training group, which means that the satisfaction of the training group increased and the satisfaction of the control group decreased, although it is just a small move and not significant (F=2.529, df 36, p = .06).

4.5.2.2 Organizational commitment. Table 23 presents means and standard deviation for organizational commitment. Organizational commitment can be divided into three approaches and a distinction is made between the training group and control group. As shown in table 23, the mean of the total group for organizational commitment is in the pretest 3.04, and in the posttest 3.11. This is a score in the middle of the scale, which means that the employees of the two secondary schools did not agree or disagree with the statements of organizational commitment. As can be seen, there is a little increase in the mean score. Furthermore, the increase of the training group is slightly higher than the control group, but this is not significant (F=.236, df 36, p = .315). Pretest Posttest n Mean SD n Mean SD Training group 22 5.69 .71 22 5.79 .51 Control group 16 5.77 .79 16 5.63 .83 Total 38 5.72 .74 38 5.72 .66

(33)

TABLE 23

Means and Standard Deviations for Organizational Commitment

Affective commitment. The mean scores of the pretest of affective commitment are for both groups 3.73. This means that the employees of both secondary education schools are slightly positive emotional attached to their organization. In the posttest, the mean score of the training group is the same, and the mean score of the control group has decreased slightly. However, this is not significant (F=.053, df 36, p = .41).

Continuance commitment. In the pretest of continuance commitment, the mean scores for the training group and control group are, 2.58 and 2.56 respectively, which means that that the employees of both secondary education schools are slightly negative about continuance commitment. The mean scores of the posttest of continuance commitment are 2.71 and 2.66, for respectively the training group and control group. This means that the mean score of the training group has increased slightly more than the control group, but this is not significant (F=.0.031, df 36, p = .43). The variation in answers is bigger among the respondents than for the other subjects.

Normative commitment. The mean scores of the pretest of normative commitment are for the training group 2.84 and for the control group 2.77. Thus, the employees are slightly negative about normative commitment, which means that they have a slightly negative feeling of obligation to remain with the organization. The mean scores for both groups has slightly increased, but that of the training group has increased more, scores were 3.00 for the training group and 2.83 for the control group, but this is not significant (F=.266, df 36, p = .305).

Pretest Posttest n Mean SD n Mean SD Organizational commitment - Training group 22 3.05 .52 22 3.15 .48 - Control group 16 3.02 .33 16 3.06 .41 - Total 38 3.04 .44 38 3.11 .45 Affective commitment - Training group 22 3.73 .62 22 3.73 .60 - Control group 16 3.73 .66 16 3.70 .68 - Total 38 3.73 .63 38 3.71 .63 Continuance commitment - Training group 22 2.58 .81 22 2.71 .66 - Control group 16 2.56 1.06 16 2.66 .95 - Total 38 2.57 .91 38 2.69 .78 Normative commitment - Training group 22 2.84 .62 22 3.00 .60 - Control group 16 2.77 .47 16 2.83 .48 - Total 38 2.81 .55 38 2.93 .55

(34)

4.5.2.3 Questions related to the training. These questions were extra questions added at the post-test questionnaire, filled in by only management and teachers who have followed the training. These questions are about the results of the training and the transfer climate factors.

TABLE 24

Means, Standard Deviations and Correlations between the Questions Related to the Training

Note: a Likert-type scale of 1-5 was used; 1 indicating strongly disagree and 5 indicating strongly agree. * p < 0.05

** p < 0.01

N=25 (except 3, N=24) SD = Standard Deviation

As can be seen in table 24, the highest mean scores can be found for the subjects about colleagues. Participants of the training has proved that the training was beneficial for the contact with colleagues (3.96), for a better understanding of their colleagues (3.92), and they also mentioned that peer support occurred after the training (3.72). In table 25, the distribution of the scores on the questions related to the training can be found. Thereby, it can be seen that twenty-two respondents out of twenty-five respondents agreed (4) with that the training was beneficial for contact with colleagues, only two respondents had no opinion (3), and one respondent totally agreed (5). For a better understanding of their colleagues, nineteen out of twenty-five respondents agreed (4), four respondents neither disagreed neither agreed (3), and two respondents totally agreed (5) with this statement. The scores of the respondents for peer support by contrast were more spread out, although seventeen out of twenty-five respondents agreed that peer support has contributed. These results are consistent with the results of the interviews.

Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1. Beneficial for contact

with colleagues 3.96 .35 - 2. Better understanding of colleagues 3.92 .49 -.02 - 3. Better understanding of pupils 3.60 .65 -.07 .43* - 4. Better communication with parents 3.16 1.03 -.10 .60** .54** -

5. Better teaching skills 2.84 .75 -.03 .08 .75** .36 - 6. Make teaching easier 3.16 .69 -.15 -.08 .51* .26 .54** - 7. Contribution to

satisfaction pupils

3.40 .71 -.10 -.02 .60** .42* .60** .38 -

(35)

TABLE 25

The distribution of the Scores of the Respondents on the Questions Related to the Training

The question about improvement of school results has also a high mean score, because eighteen out of twenty-five respondents agreed (4). This question has a high correlation with the questions about what is good for the pupils. The correlations are .60 for the correlation with ‘results of the pupils’ and .53 for ‘satisfaction pupils’. Also, the questions about what occurs in and around the classroom have a score above average. Through the training they have a better understanding of their pupils (3.60), they had the opportunity to use the newly learned subjects (3.20), and through the training they can better communicate with the parents (3.16). Remarkable is the fact that the question about ‘teaching skills’ has a much lower mean score (2.84), which means that the participants of the training have not the feeling that the training has contributed to better teaching skills. As can be seen in table 15, the respondents for the above mentioned factors answered the most; neither disagree, neither agree (3).

A low mean score was also found for the questions about performance feedback (2.52) and supervisor support (2.76). The scores of performance feedback and supervisor support indicated that the participants of the training are slightly negative about these subjects after the training. They have not (or slightly) experienced performance feedback and supervisor support after the training. The variation in answers (1.09 and 1.05) is also bigger among the respondents for these questions than for the other questions. At frequency table 15, it can be seen that the scores for performance feedback were spread out over the whole scale, with a

1 . T o ta ll y d is a g re e 2 . D is ag re e 3 . N ei th er d is a g re e, n ei th er a g re e 4 . A g re e 5 . T o ta ll y a g re e

1. Beneficial for contact with colleagues 2 22 1 2. Better understanding of colleagues 4 19 2 3. Better understanding of pupils 1 8 14 1 4. Better communication with parents 2 3 11 7 2 5. Better teaching skills 1 6 14 4

6. Make teaching easier 4 13 8

7. Contribution to satisfaction pupils 1 12 12 8. Beneficial for results of pupils 1 1 16 7

9. Improvement results of school 1 5 18 1 10. Opportunity to use 1 4 9 11 11. Performance feedback 4 10 6 4 1

12. Supervisor support 3 8 6 8

13. Peer support 1 1 4 17 2

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