PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of training framing from supervisors on trainee self‐efficacy and training motivation, and further test how these variables subsequently influence overall training effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe design of the study includes longitudinal, self‐report and objective measures. Data were collected from 126 employees who entered a training program aiming at introduction of computer software operation and design. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires at the beginning, the midpoint, and the end of the course. Finally, the trainees' learning performances were obtained from the test held at the end of the training program.FindingsConfirms the importance of supervisors training framing – which predicts the self‐efficacy and training motivation of trainee, subsequently affects their reactions, learning and transfer motivation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of this study consisted of more young employees (the oldest was 35 years old), which perhaps limits its generalization. While this study found that supervisors' training framing impacted trainees' attitudes and in turn further influenced their training outcomes, other contextual determinants of trainees' motivation, such as another type of training framing, post‐training accountability, and organizational climate remain unexplored. Future research should further examine the interactive effects of these variables on training effectiveness.Practical implicationsMainly, organizations should increase trainees' self‐efficacy and training motivation prior to the actual training program. Specifically, to increase trainees' self‐efficacy and training motivation, managers can provide training‐related information, such as training attributes, training environment, content complexity, and the like. If trainees perceive the information as realistic, the more self‐efficacy they will generate, the more motivated they are for training, and finally, the more effective training outcomes they will achieve.Originality/valueThis paper has enhanced our understanding in modeling trainees' attitudes and training effectiveness. The results have suggested that both individual and contextual factors impacted training outcomes, and offer one practical implication to organizational training.

In this study, we examined whether employees’ perceived importance of the training program would be one variable that mediates the relationship between training assignment and training motivation. Data were collected from 184 employees belonging to 18 banks who attended government‐sponsored training programs in Northern Taiwan. Participants were asked to complete two questionnaires: one at the beginning of the training program and the other at the middle. Results supported our hypothesis and showed that, compared to those who were volunteers, the employees who attended the training on a mandatory basis had a higher motivation for training. Moreover, organizations that force their employees to attend a given training program send out a clear message to employees that such training is important. As employees perceive the training to be central to the achievement of organizational objectives, their training motivation increases.

This study attempted to examine the impacts of trainees' perceived organizational fairness on their motivation to learn, reactions, and learning. Results with 370 subjects indicated that interactional justice mediates the relationships between distributive/procedural justice and motivation to learn. Subsequently, trainees' motivation to learn influences trainees' reactions and learning. Implications for future research and organizations are discussed.

This study represents an investigation of modeling training motivation and learning from both individual and contextual perspectives. Participants were 250 undergraduate business students who entered a remedial training class as a result of their failure to pass the previous course. The individual factor, self-efficacy, was found to correlate with learning partly through the mediation of training motivation. The contextual factor, interactional justice experienced in the class they previously failed, moderated the effect of self-efficacy on training motivation. Implications for future research and organizations are discussed.