Ignored No More: Within-person Variability Enables Better Understanding of Training Transfer

Abstract

The current study advances research on transfer of training by investigating within-person variability in mastery goal orientation and transfer behavior. Longitudinal surveys of trainees voluntarily attending statistical workshops revealed that trainees varied significantly in two characteristics of transfer trajectory: (a) initial attempt to transfer and (b) subsequent rate of change in transfer. Motivation to transfer assessed at the end of training predicted both initial attempt to transfer and subsequent rate of change in transfer. Level and variability of trainees’ mastery orientation interacted to influence transfer trajectories through the mediating mechanism of motivation to transfer. Specifically, level had a positive main effect on motivation and transfer trajectories, but the effect was stronger for trainees whose mastery orientation was less variable. These findings highlight the importance of attending to within-person variability in the study of training transfer by considering training transfer as trajectories over time and understanding trainee traits as frequency distribution.