This document outlines several key learning principles for effective training and development: 1) Motivation is important for learning - trainees must be motivated to participate and acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Motivation depends on self-efficacy, understanding benefits, and awareness of need for training. 2) Individual differences must be recognized - people have varying abilities to grasp concepts. Trainers must consider these differences. 3) Practice and opportunities are needed - learning requires demonstrating and practicing new skills. Over-learning increases retention. 4) Feedback provides knowledge of results - this helps trainees identify achievements and errors to improve.

1. LEARNING PRINCIPLES
IN
TRAINING
AND
DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Mohamed Kutty Kakkakunnan
Associate Professor
P.G. Dept. of Commerce
NAM College Kallikkandy
Kannur – Kerala – India

2. Learning Principles for Training
 Training is meant to learn new skills, knowledge and
attitude (KSA)
 Learning means the behavioral changes that take place
in an individual through experience
 Change may be positive or negative
 The aim of training and HRM is to create positive
changes among the employees or trainees
 Important function of HRM - to create a positive
learning environment in the organization so that each
employee continuously learn and acquire new KSA
 To make the learning more effective certain principles
(learning) can be followed- mentioned below

3. A. Motivation to learn
 Participation in training programme and acquisition
of KSA depends upon the motivation level of the
participant
 Effectiveness of training programme depends on the
readiness of the learner – which in turn depends
upon his motivation level
 Motivation to learn is the desire of the learner to
learn the content of the training programme
 Motivation to learn is related with the desire to
knowledge gain, skill acquisition and behavioral
changes

4. Employees can be motivated by -
Ensuring self-efficacy, understanding the benefits,
creating the awareness about the need for training etc
HR Manager has to consider, input, output, consequences,
and feedback, because all these will affect the
motivational level of workers
Self-efficacy is the belief of workers that they can
successfully learn the content of training programme
Many due to lack of sufficient knowledge understanding etc
stay away from training, fearing that they cannot
understand or grasp the contents of training programme

5. B. Recognition of individual difference
Grasping ability differ from person to person -
the trainer should consider this difference and
act accordingly
Note: Do not consider all the trainees alike

6. C. Supporting climate and Practical opportunities
Practice makes man perfect
There shall be facility to demonstrate and
practice what has learnt in training. Learning will
not take place when the employees practice only
by talking about what they are expected to do
Trainees have to continue practice even if they
have been able to perform the objective for
several time
Such kind of over-learning helps them to be more
comfortable using the new knowledge and skills
and increases the length of retention time of the
new knowledge, skill etc

7. D. Knowledge of results (Feedback)
Helps them to know their achievement and to try to
rectify errors or defects, if any
E. Reinforcement
Learning and training is concerned with acquisition of
KSA and resultant modification of behavior. For
acquisition of KSA and sustainability of the modified
behaviors reward (reinforcement) is essential
Reward should be distributed cautiously – only eligible
persons. Praising is also a reward. Rewarding an
inefficient and poor learner may disappoint good ones

8.  Punishment is less effective in learning.
 It tends to fix the undesirable behavior rather than
to eliminate it – may also develop dislike towards the
giver and training
 However, mild punishment is quite effective if
administered immediately following the incorrect
behavior
 Further reasonable and fair reward must be
provided to the desirable behavior

9. E. Goals
The goals should be set in advance and should be
communicated to the trainees. When the trainees know
the goals and objectives o the training programme,
learning becomes easy
F. Meaningfulness of Learnt
There should be relationship between the things learnt
and their life. The more the relationship, the more will
be the degree of learning.
In meaningful training content, employees are more
likely to learn when training is more related to their
current job experience
Explain the concepts and contents etc with suitable
examples

10. G. Transfer of Learning
The learnt things can be transferred into actual job
situation – must be adaptable - provide experiences –
examples of actual life situation – can be used or
useful
Transfer of training refers to on-the-job use of knowledge,
skill and behavior learnt in the training programme – the
employees adopt or make use of the KSA acquired in the
training programme
Transfer of training depends upon the transfer climate,
manager support, peer support, opportunity to use the
learnt capabilities, technology support and self-
management skill
Transfer climate – the perception of the trainee about the
work environment (social support and situational
constraints) that can either facilitate or inhibit use of
trained skills or behavior