Development and validation of the learning transfer system inventory in Taiwan

Abstract

Due to globalization in recent years, organizations and the government inTaiwan take developing human expertise more seriously than ever before. However, human resource development evaluation practices in Taiwan have somewhat overlooked connecting training to transfer and organizational results. To help close the gap, organizations in Taiwan need a valid and reliable instrument to assess transfer issues. This study validated a researchbased instrument in the United States, the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI), for use in Taiwan. A heterogeneous sample containing 583 responses from twenty organizations was collected. Through a rigorous translation process with qualitatively subjective, quantitatively objective, and pilot evaluations of the translation as well as common factor analyses, a Taiwan version of the LTSI (TLTSI), which contained fifteen statistically reliable factors, was validated. This study also extended the LTSI's generalizability and provided comparable measures of transfer systems between Taiwan and the United States. Translation issues, suggestions for improving the LTSI, implications for HRD, and future research directions are discussed.Human resource development (HRD) is a relatively new profession but not a new concept in Taiwan. A review of the history of HRD in Taiwan vividly illustrates that it has been embedded in the government' s human resource policy and linked to economic growth since 1953. The Taiwanese government has long perceived that developing highly competent human resources will lead to economic growth (Kuo & McLean, 1999).HRD has been instrumental in Taiwan' s economic miracle in Asia since the 1960s. According to the global competitiveness report of the World Economic Forum, published by the Center for International Development at Harvard University, Taiwan, among over one hundred economies, was ranked third in economic growth in (Cornelius, 2003 and fifth in (Schwab, 2004. 55HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, vol. 16, no Chen, Holton, BatesTaiwan was also top-ranked in the Asian region for both years. Yuen (1994) asserted that Taiwan' s government has created technical training and vocational schools that have dramatically enhanced workers' skills, knowledge, and abilities. The government' s emphasis on developing human resources has led Taiwan to become one of the most powerful economies in the world. Although other factors, such as government financial policies and market forces, have influenced Taiwan' s economic growth, the government policies that highly value human capital point to the contribution of HRD to this growth. Indeed, in a country such as Taiwan with limited natural resources, human capital is a more vital concept than in countries with abundant natural resources, such as the United States and China.Due to the new era of globalization, organizations in Taiwan have been facing more rigorous competition than ever before. As a result, HRD has received additional attention in both the public and private sectors. In the public sector, Taiwan' s govern...

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Validation of the Learning Transfer System Inventory: A study of supervisors in the public sector in Jordan

“…Several studies validated the LTSI and concluded that the instrument is a comprehensive, valid, empirically based, cross-culturally tested, and diagnostic measure to assess learning transfer (Bates, 2001;Chen et al, 2005;Khasawneh, Bates, & Holton, 2006). After validating the instrument inside the United States, researchers validated the LTSI in several foreign countries (see, for example, Chen, 2003;Khasawneh, 2004;Khasawneh et al, 2006).…”

“…Therefore, to ensure better generalizability and wider application of the Arabic translation, we decided to translate the LTSI into classical Arabic, making it accessible to virtually all Arabic-speaking people (see, for example, Al-Musawi, 2001;Haak et al, 2004). Needless to say there are several techniques that could be used to deal with instrument translation before using it in foreign countries with different languages (Al-Musawi, 2001;Chen et al, 2005;Khasawneh et al, 2006). Using his bilingual knowledge of English and Arabic as well as benefiting from years of experience as a public sector supervisor in Jordan, the first author first translated the instrument into Arabic by focusing on the HRD meanings of every item (contextual; Yaghi, 2006).…”

“…Yamnill (2001) American culture. Chen (2003) and Chen et al (2005) validated 15 factors of the instrument in Taiwan. Khasawneh (2004;Khasawneh et al, 2006) introduced an Arabic translation of the LTSI (ALTSI) and validated the instrument in Jordan by surveying employees in various sectors.…”

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