When evaluating a training program, it is common to make longitudinal comparisons between pre-training and post-training measures of one or... Show moreWhen evaluating a training program, it is common to make longitudinal comparisons between pre-training and post-training measures of one or more learning outcomes. This study was conducted to demonstrate the need to investigate the type of change observed in a self-efficacy measure collected pre- and post-training using a military sample. Using a variation of CFA methods developed by Schmitt (1982), tests were conducted to determine whether pre-post differences in the measure were due to a true (i.e., alpha) change in the construct, or if trainees had recalibrated (i.e., beta change) or reconceptualized (i.e., gamma change) their use of the self-efficacy measures over time. In addition, the potential relationship between task difficulty and the type of observed change was investigated. Analyses found that gamma change did occur with regard to the covariance between the latent factors of self-efficacy, and partial beta change occurred with regard to the latent factor variance. Task difficulty subgroup analyses reflected a very similar result to the primary analysis suggesting that task difficulty has little or no effect on the type of change observed. Implications for training evaluation research are discussed, as well as study limitations and future research directions. M.S. in Psychology, December 2013 Show less
Query
(-) mods_name_creator_namePart_mt:"Wright, Sean Christopher"
