Assessing Changes in Job Behavior Due to Training: A Guide to the Participant Action Plan Approach

摘要

The Participant Action Plan Approach (PAPA), a generic evaluation method developed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, enables evaluators to determine the extent of behavioral change which has occurred as a result of participants' attending a training course. At the end of training, participants fill out an action plan - listing the changes they want to implement when they return to their jobs. The evaluator follows up with the participants several months later, through interviews or questionnaires, to obtain specific examples of change, as well as other data such as factors interfering with attempted change and the impact on the organization of new efforts made by participants. Variations on the basic PAPA process include following up with participants without having them fill out action plans during the course (still collecting examples of behavioral change), and involving the supervisors of the participants in the action planning process, either before or after the course or both. The PAPA Guide contains complete step-by-step instructions for conducting an evaluation using PAPA, including forms, alternative ways to analyze results, and a sample report format.