Kennedy, Agatha (2021) Effects of Orientations to Happiness on Training Satisfaction When Mediated by Training Utility. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
First responders work in high-threat environments and require continuous training to deal with emergency situations. The aim of evaluating training programs designed for first responders would be to address issues and build on the existing training in order to optimize future training. There are factors that influence training from attendance to performance such as trainees’ level of engagement and meaning. The way that the trainee thinks about training is filtered through those variables and that will reflect on the overall evaluation outcome. Training satisfaction is a positive evaluation reaction to the training. It is therefore important to evaluate a training program with a questionnaire that can effectively measure trainees’ level of satisfaction and the perceived usefulness of the training program (Training Utility). This pilot study combined several validated measures to create a pilot questionnaire that evaluates training programs for first responders (N = 360) in Australia. The present study hypothesized that Training Utility mediates the relationship between engagement orientation and meaning orientation to Training Satisfaction. This research broke down those relationships into direct effects, indirect effects and total effects, then tested using mediation analyses. The findings did not show support for the hypotheses due to the methodological issues with the questionnaire. Notably, a significant positive relationship was found between Training Utility and overall Training Satisfaction rs(358) = .63, p < .001. A significant left skew was found explained by the ceiling effect caused by the Likert scale used. The mediation model requires further review. The respondents indicated high levels of satisfaction with the training program suggesting that the training had a positive impact. The limitations of the study are discussed further with recommendations for future research. The implications, in light of the findings of this research study, did produce original evidence for the sampled population with the TacMed trainee’s part of a broader population of FRs in Australia. This study does expand the scientific knowledge on evaluating training programs on FRs with the possibility of creating further advancements in research given that there is a paucity of knowledge relating to training evaluations on emergency service workers. The training provided a refinement and expansion of knowledge and skills for those trainees, which is important in building morale thus increasing the effectiveness on the job.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Erich Fein |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2025 23:27 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2025 23:27 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | engagement ; meaning ; orientations to happiness ; training satisfaction ; training utility |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52463 |
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