Computer skills are key to organizational performance, and past research indicates that behavior modeling is a highly effective form of computer skill training.The present research develops and tests a new theoretical model of the underlying observational learning processes by which modeling-based training interventions influence computer task performance.Observational learning processes are represented as a second-order construct with four dimensions (attention, retention, production, and motivation).New measures for these dimensions were developed and shown to have strong psychometric properties.The proposed model controls for two pretraining individual differences (motivation to learn and self-efficacy) and specifies the relationships among three training outcomes (declarative knowledge, post-training self-efficacy, and task performance).The model was tested using PLS on data from an experiment (N = 95) on computer spreadsheet training.As hypothesized, observational learning processes significantly influenced training outcomes. A representative modeling-based training intervention (retention enhancement) significantly improved task performance through its specific effects on the retention processes dimension of observational learning.The new model provides a more complete theoretical account of the mechanisms by which modeling-based interventions affect training outcomes, which should enable future research to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of modeling-based training interventions.Further, the new instruments can be used by practitioners to refine ongoing training programs.

This report was prepared for the World Bank Institute (WBI) under the overall guidance of Marlaine Lockheed, Manager, Evaluation Group. The team was led by Nidhi Khattri and Jaime Quizon. This report benefited from a review by an expert panel of Gail P. Davenport (HRSLO), Victoria Elliot (OEDCM), Elizabeth M. King (EASHD), Bruno Andre Laporte (WBIKL), Emiliana Vegas (YPP), and Tao Yao of the American Institutes for Research. Violaine

This monograph is based upon papers presented at a conference titled, “Drugs in the Workplace: Research and Evaluation Data, ” held on September

Research into the training provided by enterprises in recent years has been characterised by broad conclusions drawn from analysis of statistical data on the quantity of enterprise training in the economy. This research, whilst providing general indications of overall trends in training, has failed to illuminate the nature and operation of training at the enterprise level. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of enterprise training in a number of manufacturing enterprises in Australia. The paper examines the type of training provided in the enterprises and relates the occurrence of training to a variety of independent variables including business strategy, technology, work organisation, industrial relations, management attitudes and the competitive performance of the enterprises. The discussion of the relationship of enterprise training to each of these variables leads to the development of a series of propositions describing the role and nature of training within enterprises which could form the basis for a future research agenda aimed at developing a more comprehensive theory of enterprise training. 1 Towards a Theory of Enterprise Training: Propositions for a Future Research Agenda Much of the debate since the mid-1980s over the role of training in improving enterprise competitiveness has been focused at the policy level (Coopers & Lybrand, 1985;

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Web-based financial commentary, in which experts routinely express market-related thought processes, is proposed as a means for college students to learn vicariously about financial markets. Undergraduate business school students from a regional university were exposed to expert market commentary from a single financial Web site for a 6week period. When compared to a control group, students in the experimental group were found to possess higher levels of financial market awareness. Degree of engagement, as approximated by measures of project exposure time and effort, was significantly related to market awareness. Finance majors were found to be more engaged in the process than nonfinance majors. Although this study should be considered exploratory in nature, findings support the notion of using Web-based vicarious learning processes in financial education. Future research can extend the generalizability of these findings, as well as shape vicarious learning mechanisms for use across business disciplines.