Time Spent in Training: Who Stays and Who Goes?

Topic: Training
Publication: Learning and Individual Differences
Article: The influence of goal orientation dimensions on time to train in a self-paced training environment
Authors: K. Ely, T. Sitzmann, and C. Falkiewicz
Reviewed By: Benjamin Granger

 E-learning refers to computer-mediated training that grants trainees a great deal of control over the learning (e.g., time spent, pace, training location).  These freedoms come along with many potential possibilities and pitfalls.  One major disadvantage of self-paced e-learning is that trainees often stop instruction before mastering the training content.  However, from a financial perspective, decreased training time can save big bucks. 

Recently, Ely, Sitzmann and Falkiewicz (2009) predicted that trainee goal orientation (GO) would impact training time as well as knowledge gained from training in a “real world” self-paced e-learning course.  Specifically, the course was an occupational training course for electrical technicians.  

GO basically refers to the ways in which employees choose, work toward, and interpret the goals that they set.  There are several types of GOs that employees can have.  Employees who set mastery goals (mastery goal orientation) focus on mastering skills whereas employees who have performance-avoid GOs are focused on not failing and avoiding negative judgments of others. 

Ely and colleagues found that trainees who reported high levels of performance-avoid GO spend an average of five days longer in training.