DCE 5900 RESEARCH METHOD & DESIGN

Research Proposal:
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING:
AS PERCEIVED BY SUPPORT STAFF IN MUSEUMS DEPARTMENT
Name
Matric No.
Programme
Lecturer

Peterson Augustine Ak Augustine Jadan

JM41146
Master of Human Resource Development (MHRD)
Associate Professor Dr. Roziah Mohd Rasdi

Background of the problem

Training is a part of the human resource development, along with the
other human resources activities, such as recruitment, selection and
compensation. Any organization that wants to succeed and to
continue to succeed has to maintain workforce consisting of people
who are willing to learn and develop continuously.
The process of evaluating training and development has been defined
by Hamblin (1974) as any attempt to obtain information (feedback) on
the effects of training programme and to assess the value of the
training in the light of that information. In other words evaluation may
be defined as the systematic collection and assessment of information
for deciding how best to utilise available training resources in order to
achieve organisational goals.

Prasad (2005), it is very difficult to measure the effectiveness of

training and development because of its abstract nature and long term
impact on trainees and the organisation.
According to Kirkpatrick (1998), the evaluation of training
effectiveness was strategically designed to tap four levels of training
effectiveness: reaction, learning, behavior and result accruing due to
the program.

Statement of problem
A major problem faced by most organizations including the public
sector in Malaysia is the role of training as it affects the employees
productivity.
Over the years, the museums department has been allocating huge
sums of money in its budgetary allocation toward training of support
staff to build the capacity of staff to perform their job functions
effectively. In spite of that, the department is still confronted with
challenges in the area of effective performance of staff in the provision
of (museum) services.

Objectives
General Objective
Generally, the objective of this research is to understand the factors
influence training effectiveness among support staffs in museums
department.
Specific Objective
The specific objectives included are as follows:To determine the level of training effectiveness among support staffs in
museums department.
To determine the level of reaction, learning, behaviour and results among
support staffs in museums department.
To determine the relationship between reaction, learning, behaviour and
results and training effectiveness among support staff in museums
department.
To determine the factors contributing to training effectiveness among
support staff in museum departments.

Significance of research
Training becomes inevitable the moment an organization realizes the
need for improvement and expansion in the job.
With high investment in and allocation of resources to training, the
need for evaluate training effectiveness should be carried out.
To assists the organization and the staffs in understanding the factors
that related to training effectiveness.

Assumptions
The main assumption of this study is that the effectiveness of training is
strongly influenced by the reaction factor, learning factor, behavioral
related factor and result factor. Besides that, the researcher also
assumed that the available instruments are appropriate and applicable
to this this study to examine the effectiveness of training.

Limitations
This study only consists of staff in museums department.
The effectiveness of training was not measured through one
particular type of training programmed.
This study is oriented to staff in support group in museums
department not involved management & professional group including
top management.

Training refers to the methods used to give new or present employees the skill
that they need to perform their job.
Training effectiveness is an indication that (the) training efforts are making a
visible difference and a positive impact in those areas of application after the
training is completed.
Training evaluation refers to the process by which you can determine if you have
met those objectives and whether there is a better and cheaper way in which to
do so in the future. The evaluation process should be based on relevant data and
conducted in a planned and logical way.
Support group refers to assistant curator and museum assistant in museums
department.

2016/12/7

Definitions of terms

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Concept of Training Effectiveness
Kane (1986) has suggested that if the training and development
function is to be effective in the future, it will need to move beyond its
concern with techniques and traditional roles.
Goldstein & Ford (2002); Noe, (2002) defined training evaluation as
the systematic process of collecting data to determine if training is
effective.
Leach P. Mark & Liu H. Annie (2003), explained that training
investments critically, organizations need to know how reactions,
knowledge acquisition, and behaviour change impact outcomes.

Theories/Modules

Figure 1: Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model

Concepts of Independent Variables

Reaction
Learning
Behavioral change
Results/Organizational performance

Review of previous research linking IVs-DVs

The effect of reaction and behavior on training effectiveness by
Srivastava (2001)
The effect of learning on training effectiveness by Ogunu
(2002)
The effect of behavior (training transfer) on training
effectiveness by Selvam, M.;Panchalan, R.(2003)

Hypotheses
H1:

Reactions will be positively related to training effectiveness.

H2:

Learning will be positively related to training effectiveness.

H3:

Behavioral change will be positively related to training

effectiveness.

H4:

Results will be positively related to training effectiveness.

Summary
This study is to understand the factors that influence the
effectiveness of the training of the support staff at the museum
department of the reaction, learning, behaviour and decisions
that affect the effectiveness of training.
These factors call for special attention from the researchers to
determine the relationship between these factors on the
training effectiveness.

METHODOLOGY
Design of study
This study is a descriptive correlation study because it investigates
the relationship between four independent variables which are
reaction, learning, behavior and result and the dependent variable
(training effectiveness).

Research framework

Independent Variables
Reaction
Dependent Variable
Learning

Training
Effectiveness

Behaviour
Results

Figure 2: A Research Showing the Relationship between Selected

Independent Variables and Dependent Variable

Measurement and instrument

This research used a standard questionnaire based on the four levels
of Kirkpatrick model which are reaction, learning, behaviour change and
result of the training.
The questionnaire consisted of a series of statements, where the
employee respondents needed to provide answers in the form of
agreement or disagreement to express their attitude towards the
training programme
A Likert scale was used so that the respondent could select a
numerical score ranging from 1 to 5 for each statement to indicate the
degree of agreement or otherwise.
Data gathering instruments in this research were two sets of
questionnaires.

Reliability and Validity

Reliability is the consistency of your measurement, or the degree to
which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used
under the same condition with the same subjects.
In this study, reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha
coefficient.
Content validity was applied to determine the validity of the
questionnaires. Content validity is often seen as a prerequisite
to criterion validity, because it is a good indicator of whether the
desired trait is measured.

Pre-testing of instrument
In this study, a total of 25 staffs from different units in headquarters of
museums department were selected to do pre-test. The respondents
are staff under support group in museums department who joins the
department since the last three years. The questionnaire will be
distributed by hand and a short briefing about the purposes of the
study will be given to them.

Population and Sampling

The target population in this study will be support group staff in
headquarters of JMM. The sample size of this study will be
determined using Greens (1991) formula. The minimum
number of sample size should be 90 based on Greens formula:
N>50+8m. To avoid errors, the total sample size is 100 for this
study. The respondents are selected randomly in headquarters
of museums to voluntarily participate in this research. The
respondents are chosen based on the following criteria:
All respondents are staff of support group in museums
department.
All respondents are aged between 25 45 years old.
All respondents have at least three year of working experience.

Data collection
In this research, the data will be collected through the self-administered questionnaire.
Below are the steps that will be taken to gather the data:

A letter will be sent to the Director General of JMM that the selected staffs have been
identified as the population for the research. Consequently, requesting permission to
collect data from the relevant academician.

Upon receiving consent from the Director General of JMM, the researcher will request
from the Human Resource Department a list of staffs under support group scheme.
The sample will be selected through a systematic random sampling.

A coordinator from the Human Resource Department in headquarters of JMM will be

appointed to coordinate the distribution and collection of the questionnaire, within one
two weeks duration.

The duly completed questionnaire will be collected from the appointed coordinator after
the stipulated deadline.

In the event, the response rate is not up to the expected number, various other
methods will be used to gather the data.

Data analysis
After completing the data collection, the data will be coded and
analyze using the relevant statistical analysis according to the
research objectives as follows:
Objectives

Statistical Tools

To determine the level of training RO1:

effectiveness among support staff in Measure of Central Tendency.
museums department.
Measure of Dispersion
To determine the level of reaction, learning, RO2:
behavior and results among support staff Measure of Central Tendency.
in museums department.
Measure of Dispersion
To determine the relationship between RO3:
reaction, learning, behavior and results Pearson Productment Correlation
and training effectiveness among support
staff in museums department.
To determine the factors contributing to RO4:
training effectiveness among support staff Multiple Linear Regression
in museums department.