Stability or change? Effects of training length and time lag on achievement goal orientations and transfer of training

• Meta-analysis of 30 years of research on goal orientations and training transfer.
• Examined whether goal orientation–transfer relationships are stable or dynamic.
• N = 2917; k = 17; effect sizes = 38.
• Effects of training length and time lag were nonsignificant.
• The findings indicate stability of goal orientation–transfer relationships.

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have examined the differential influences of achievement goal orientations on transfer of training, with heterogeneous results. The present study used meta-analytic methods (k = 17 with 38 effect sizes, N = 2917) to correct the true score population correlation estimate between achievement goal orientations and transfer of training for sampling error and error of measurement. For this purpose, goal orientations were conceptualized in the following three dimensions: mastery goal orientation (ρ = 0.40), performance-approach goal orientation (ρ = 0.02), and performance-avoidance goal orientation (ρ = −0.12). A second aim was to examine stability and change by testing the effects of training length and time lag on these population correlation estimates. A weighted least squares multiple regression indicated no statistically significant effects; a nested effect of training length and time lag was also nonsignificant for all three goal orientations. These findings suggest stability in the achievement goal orientation–transfer of training relationships. Practical implications for job-related training programs and avenues for future research are discussed.