Article 2025

The role of participation in training in the relationship between informal learning and its antecedents

International Journal of Training and Development
Journal · Vol. 29 · Issue 1 · pp. 16-37
Abstract

We investigated the relationships between Participation in Training, Informal Learning Behaviours (ILBs), and their dispositional (Readiness to Learn) and situational (Workplace Interaction and Autonomy) antecedents. Aiming to produce findings with greater reproducibility and generality, we used secondary data from 34 countries participating in the first cycle of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, but we also compared these countries. We randomly selected a sample of 504 respondents from each country who were divided equally into training and non-training participant groups. Then, we aggregated the sample of all countries (n = 17,136). The group that participated in training achieved higher mean ILBs with lower variance. In the aggregated sample, Participation in Training moderated only the relationships between ILBs and their situational antecedents. Workplace Interaction and Autonomy were more strongly associated with ILBs among non-training participants. Moderation findings differed among countries. Aspects of job design should be considered—in addition to the skills developed in training—to improve the use of learning opportunities at the workplace. This implication is based on diverse education levels, occupations, age groups, and countries, better supporting global policies. Autochthonous features that may moderate the prediction of ILBs deserve further investigation. Specific training and other dispositional and job design predictors should be longitudinally investigated in the future. © 2024 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Author Affiliations
Graduate Program in Social, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
Funding & Acknowledgements
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES
Funding text 1: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020\u201000). Jairo Eduardo Borges\u2010Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ\u2010Sr \u2013 314055/2020\u20107) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.; Funding text 2: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020-00). Jairo Eduardo Borges-Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ-Sr \u2013 314055/2020-7) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq
Funding text 1: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020\u201000). Jairo Eduardo Borges\u2010Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ\u2010Sr \u2013 314055/2020\u20107) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.; Funding text 2: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020-00). Jairo Eduardo Borges-Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ-Sr \u2013 314055/2020-7) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.
Ministry of Education, MOE
Grant: 88887.484301/2020‐00, PQ-Sr – 314055/2020-7
Funding text 1: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020\u201000). Jairo Eduardo Borges\u2010Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ\u2010Sr \u2013 314055/2020\u20107) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.; Funding text 2: Fl\u00E1via Lucena Barbosa receives a doctoral scholarship from the Coordena\u00E7\u00E3o de Aperfei\u00E7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00EDvel Superior (CAPES), Ministry of Education of Brazil, Bras\u00EDlia, DF (Process No. PROEX 88887.484301/2020-00). Jairo Eduardo Borges-Andrade receives a research productivity fellowship (PQ-Sr \u2013 314055/2020-7) from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00EDfico e Tecnol\u00F3gico\u2014CNPq.
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