Online Motivation to Learn Affecting Undergraduate Students' Training Effectiveness: A Pre-Experiment of Smart Learning Program

Abstract

Motivation to learn is found to be the most essential predictor for training effectiveness among employees in the organization. However, research reporting the effect of online motivation to learn on training effectiveness, especially using samples among undergraduate students, is limited. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of online motivation to learn on training effectiveness using a pre-experimental design among 84 undergraduate students who attended an online training program named Smart Learning in Malaysia. Findings indicated that there was a significant increase in smart learning scores among participants as measured before and after the completion of online training, in which online motivation to learn had a moderate effect size and explained 37% variance in the training effectiveness. Findings are important for training providers to organize an online training program that could increase participants’ online motivation to learn, especially among participants from undergraduate students. Additionally, future researchers are recommended to study factors affecting online motivation to learn among university students because it is proven to affect online training effectiveness.