The relationship between personality, situational variables and training motivation in the Maltese culture

Abstract

The effectiveness of training depends on its efficiency in being transferred. One of the variables that may influence this is the motivation that a trainee has for a training session, which can be influenced by the personality of the trainee and the context that they are in. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between personality, different situational variables or the positions identified with, and the motivation for training within the Maltese context. In this study, a questionnaire consisting of the IPIP-NEO personality test and motivation questions was distributed among 106 students, volunteers and employees, with the results analysed by using SPSS. The findings suggest that openness to experience and extraversion are related to motivation for training, with correlation found between conscientiousness and motivation for training. The motivation was found to be significantly different in volunteers than in the other groups, and the only significant difference between the different situations and different types of trainings was found in volunteers to team training. However, no significant difference was found between the three situational variables in relation to the need for monetary compensation. This study is relevant because it highlights the variables that impact the motivation for training and points towards the importance of a holistic training needs analysis to ensure that training design is according to trainees’ needs and disposition. This underscores the importance for further research on the different variables impacting training effectiveness.