THE VALIDITY OF IMMEDIATE AND DELAYED SELF-REPORTS IN-TRAINING EVALUATION - AN EXPLORATORY FIELD-STUDY

Two parallel studies were conducted on the validity of self-report tra ining evaluations, one using a training programme for graduate student s on structured employment interviewing, the other a safety training p rogramme within a large manufacturing firm. Both studies included a re trospective I,re-test and standard post-test (that is, trainees rated their pre-training and post-training proficiency). Previous research o n the validity of self-reports in training evaluation was extended by (1) assessing whether the timing of self-report administration affects its validity, (2) including a comparison of training effect size esti mates derived from self-report and objective measures, and (3) analysi ng within-person las well as across-person) correlations. The timing o f self-report administration was experimentally manipulated to determi ne whether completion of self-reports after training generates less va lid ratings than waiting until trainees have had an opportunity to app ly newly learned skills. Results indicated limited support for the use of self-report instruments, regardless of when the questionnaires wer e administered. Although effect size estimates based on self-reports w ere similar to those derived from objective measures, across- and with in-person correlations were weak and inconsistent.