The past decades have shown an accelerated development of technology-enhanced or digital education. Although an important and recognized precondition for study success, still little attention has been paid to examining how an affective learning climate can be fostered in online training programs. Besides gaining insight into the dynamics of affective learning itself it is of vital importance to know what predicts trainees’ intention to transfer new knowledge and skills to other contexts. The present study investigated the influence of five affective learner characteristics from the transfer literature (learner readiness, motivation to learn, expected positive outcomes, expected negative outcomes, personal capacity) on trainees’ pre-training transfer intention. Participants were 366 adult students enrolled in an online course in information literacy in a distance learning environment. As information literacy is a generic competence, applicable in various contexts, we developed a novel multicontextual transfer perspective and investigated within one single study the influence of the abovementioned variables on pre-training transfer intention for both the students’ Study and Work contexts. The hypothesized model has been tested using structural equation modeling. The results showed that motivation to learn, expected positive personal outcomes, and learner readiness were the strongest predictors. Results also indicated the benefits of gaining pre-training insight into the specific characteristics of multiple transfer contexts, especially when education in generic competences is involved. Instructional designers might enhance study success by taking affective transfer elements and multicontextuality into account when designing digital education.
MULTIFILE
This thesis investigates knowledge workersandapos; satisfaction with Activity-Based Working (ABW) environments and its impact on perceived productivity in the Netherlands. Grounded in Person-Environment Fit Theory, this study addresses the importance of employee productivity in organizational success and examines how ABW environments can enhance satisfaction and productivity by aligning with job characteristics, task characteristics, and psychological needs. This study employed a quantitative approach, gathering responses through an online questionnaire from 110 knowledge workers in Dutch ABW settings. The study examined the relationships between job characteristics, task characteristics, behavioural patterns, psychological needs, and demographic characteristics with satisfaction in ABW environments and its impact on perceived productivity. The findings revealed positive correlations between ABW environments and job characteristics, suggesting that these settings are particularly beneficial for roles requiring high autonomy, social interaction, and internal mobility. Task variety also positively influences satisfaction, underscoring the importance of offering diverse tasks to foster employee satisfaction, thereby increasing their perceived productivity in ABW settings. However, the study found that employees with a high need for structure and privacy are less satisfied in ABW environments. Overall, this study found a generally positive outlook on ABW environments. Most participants reported a good fit between their workspace and activities, leading to higher satisfaction and perceived productivity. This suggests a potential positive feedback loop within well-designed ABW settings. The results offer valuable insights for facility and workspace managers aiming to create supportive and efficient work environments. By understanding and addressing the specific needs and characteristics of knowledge workers, organizations can enhance satisfaction and productivity, thereby adding value to their organizations and achieving sustainable success.
MULTIFILE